A.J. Croce Reveals Musical Bond with His Father in Concerts

WARREN, Ohio – A.J. Croce was just 2 years old when his father, the famed singer-songwriter Jim Croce, died in a 1973 airplane crash.

But as A.J. grew up, he made a musical bond with his father through the record collection that he left behind.

Now an artist in his own right with 11 albums under his belt, A.J. is bringing to life his father’s greatest songs – and performing his own music – in his Croce Sings Croce tour, which comes to the Robins Theatre on Sept. 10.

His songs grow from the same musical soil as his father’s.

“The influences I draw from are his and mine,” the Nashville-based Croce said in a phone interview. “It’s not one-sided. The show is about the story of two generations who made a life of it, a legacy.”

At the root of the connection is his father’s record collection, which Croce inherited.

“It’s the music that influenced him and that influenced me,” he said. “It gave me a greater understanding of music.”

The concert is expected to include a multimedia element to help illustrate the lives of both father and son.

The Croce Sings Croce concerts, which A.J. has been doing on and off for about 15 years, draw many fans of his father, who is known for personal songs like “Operator,” “Time in a Bottle,” “I Have to Say I Love You in a Song” and “I’ve Got a Name.” The late Croce also had hits with his amusing storyteller yarns like “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” and “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim.”

While fans get what they came for, many leave the show with a feeling they’ve found another great artist in A.J.

“A lot of the folks [at the concert] don’t know about my music,” Croce said. “The majority are lifelong fans of my father’s music and are just discovering me. I am respectful of that.”

Some fans expect an evening of nostalgia, but the energy of live music keeps them in the present.

“Music is not to be intellectualized,” he said. “It’s to be felt and heard. We can talk about music to no end, but actually hearing it brings it to life. That’s the beauty of this show. I’m able to bring this story to life in a way that is really vibrant and emotional.”

While Croce plays his father’s hits, he also introduces his own style and catalog. A virtuosic pianist, he is backed by a veteran band.

Many come away surprised and impressed.

“What they get is [someone who has] 35 years of touring with iconic musicians, who learned the craft from the best – Aretha Franklin, the Neville brothers, Willie Nelson, B.B. King,” Croce said, listing some of the greats who took him under their wing.

They are all also among the many artists who influenced the late Jim Croce.

“My father was a huge fan of all of those but only knew them from their records,” Croce said.

Though he grew up in Southern California, Croce’s music bears the hallmarks of everything from soul music to New Orleans zydeco.

“There was a lot of Allen Toussaint that influenced me as a pianist and a songwriter,” he said. “I didn’t know who Dr. John was until after my first record came out and some said that it reminds them of him. From the time I was 13, I got into [New Orleans] music.”

Croce went on the road with the renowned Neville Brothers early in his career. “I got to hang out with Cyril and Art [Neville] and got a schooling from them,” he said.

Croce also absorbed Cuban and salsa music as a youth, and it became part of his musical foundation. Soul music is another facet of his sound.

“Soul music doesn’t mean Southern, or Black or one thing or another,” he said. “It just means powerful. Willie Nelson is one of the most soulful guys I know. Merle Haggard, too. … My father’s catalog was also influenced by them.”

On the current tour, Croce plays all of his father’s hits, plus a set of his own songs. He also includes a few deep cuts each night and takes requests from the audience. That means the set list is different for every show.

Lately, Croce is also mixing in a song from his upcoming album, due in early 2025, at each concert.

“We are trying them out to see how they’ll be received,” he said. “I’m confident we’ve got something good. There’s a song or two from the New Orleans world. And I’ve co-written stuff with John Oates that has a gospel and R&B style. There’s also a pretty song I wrote with Margo Price.”

The A.J. Croce: Croce Plays Croce concert will start at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10. Tickets range from $75 to $39 and can be purchased at robinstheatre.com or at the box office, 160 E. Market St.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.