Thinking about Croce, 50 years after his death

There is no such thing as a bad Jim Croce song. I've listened to almost every song he ever played, and that's my conclusion. Croce, a folk singer who found mainstream success in the early 1970s, is one of the most poignant artists I've ever listened to. As an artist, Croce had it all: Powerful, reflective lyrics, a wonderful sense of melody, a sense of humor and a strong, emotive baritone voice. Croce released his first single, "Don't Mess Around With Jim" in June of 1972. Over the next 15 months, Croce recorded a career's worth of material. He released two albums and had 11 singles, including a pair of No. 1 hits — "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time in a Bottle." Croce's success and music have endured more than 50 years, but he was around to see very little of it. He was killed — along with five others — in a plane crash on Sept. 20, 1973. This past Tuesday was the 50th anniversary of his death. Croce's career was remarkable on its own terms, but for me, I can't help but wonder what would have happened had he lived longer. Were he alive today, Croce would be 80-years-old. Given that many of his contemporaries are still on the road, it's not impossible that he'd still be out there, performing. Whenever someone dies young, there are always questions. To this day, people speculate about Buddy Holly, James Dean, Patsy Cline and John Lennon, among others. But I have to admit that with Croce, it's different, at least for me. I look at someone like Lennon, and wonder if the Beatles would have reunited, and how big that would have been. With John Denver — who also died in a plane crash — I wonder about all the live shows he would have played, and what kind of career resurgence he'd have had after 2000. But with Croce, I only think about the music. When I listen to some of his work — the lesser-known stuff that isn't played on the radio — I can't help but think about the songs he'd have created. Croce — and his musical partner, guitarist Maury Muehleisen — created a deep, soulful background with his songs. One of my favorite lines from Jim comes from his song "Operator." "She's living in LA, with my best old ex-friend Ray/Guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated." Behind those words is a beautiful lead guitar part, played by Muelheisen. He was a classically-trained guitarist, and he gave Croce's music that extra spark. Like Croce, Muelheisen died in the 1973 plane crash. One has to wonder what kind of other work Muelheisen would have produced had he lived. Croce's music is so rich that I end up grateful and sad. Grateful for his career and output of music, and sad that there is not more of it. It reminds me of another line Croce wrote, a song called "These Dreams." It's a song about love and loss, and about still believing things can be like they once were. "These dreams," Croce sings, "they keep me going these days." Many times in my life, Croce's music has brought comfort, hope and reflection. There's not a bad Jim Croce song. But sometimes it's easy to dream about what could have been, what other songs he had that we never got to hear. But then again, he gave us so much to enjoy. It's a career I love revisiting, even 50 years after he sang his last song. Baker is sports editor at The Courier.