Croce (Jan 10, 1943 - Sept 20, 1973) was an American singer-songwriter from South Philadelphia whose biggest single “Bad, bad Leroy Brown” hit number 1 on the US charts in the summer of 1973. His influences included Ian and Sylvia, Gordon Lightfoot and Woody Guthrie. Sadly, Croce died in a small commercial plane crash one day before his third album, “I Got a Name” was to be released.


Early life

Croce was born in South Philadelphia. He graduated from Upper Darby High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania in 1960 where in 1976, he was the first former student to be added to the high school’s Wall of Fame. Then, while attending Villanova University (1965 graduate), Croce became interested in becoming a professional musician and met his future wife, Ingrid, at a hootenanny at Convention Hall in Philadelphia, where he was a judge for the contest.


Early career

During the early 1960s, Croce formed a number of college bands and performed at ... read more »