Jim Croce – The Italian American Folk Singer

Jim Croce – The Italian American Folk Singer

In 2015, my band performed at the San Diego Italian Festival. A few months before the festival, I received an email from Ingrid Croce, the wife of Jim Croce. I was amazed to get an email from her, and I was even more amazed that she wanted us to perform at her restaurant “Croce’s Park West” while we were in town. While I had grown up listening to Jim Croce’s music, I never knew he was Italian until speaking with Ingrid. While he didn’t write Italian music, you can definitely feel the deep emotional and romantic elements in his music like in traditional Italian music. With songs like “Operator” and “Time In A Bottle,” he definitely knew how to tug on the listener’s heartstrings. It was an honor to perform in their restaurant, and I wanted to share a little bit about Jim’s career and life.

On January 10, 1943, James Joseph Croce was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to James Albert Croce and Flora Mary (Babusci) Croce, both Italian Americans from Abruzzo and Palermo, Sicily. Croce grew up in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

Croce did not take music seriously until he attended Villanova University. In addition to being a member of the Villanova Singers, he formed bands and performed at fraternity parties, coffee houses, and universities around Philadelphia. In 1963, Croce met his future wife, Ingrid Jacobson, and from the mid-1960’s to early 1970s, they performed music together as a duo. They spent a few years on the road, playing small clubs and college concerts, but living the life as traveling musicians took its toll on the duo and they decided to settle back down in Pennsylvania.  

It wasn’t until 1971, the year their first child was born, that Croce decided he wanted to try again to make music his profession. In 1972, Croce signed a three-record contract with ABC Records, releasing You Don’t Mess Around With Jim and Life and Times. He received radio airplay and began appearing on T.V., performing his singles “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim”, “Operator (That’s Not The Way It Feels)” and “Time In A Bottle.”

Croce was traveling promoting his new albums, when on September 20, 1973, Croce and 5 others were killed in a plane crash leaving a concert in Louisiana. This was one day before the release of his single “I Got A Name.” Croce was only 30 years old. It is amazing to think about the other hits Croce could’ve written if he wasn’t’ taken at such a young age. 

Croce’s music has inspired many musicians and his legacy lives on with his son A.J Croce. Not only does A.J perform his own original music, but also does a tribute show called Croce Plays Croce where he performs his father’s music.

See below for a video of his son A.J Croce and his show Croce Plays Croce.

 

The Uncle Louie Variety Show – Episode 1

The Uncle Louie Variety Show – Episode 1

Episode 1 of the Italian American Entertainment Podcast! Today Vince Chiarelli, of The Vince Chiarelli Band, interviews Carlo Russo and Lou Greco, the two very funny comedians behind The Uncle Louie Variety Show. Their funny videos and songs show how it was to grow up Italian. On this episode, we talk about where in Italy their families are from, what they hope the future brings for Italian American entertainment, and of course about their hilarious skits, characters and their upcoming shows. Follow The Uncle Louie Variety Show on Facebook and Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4ygD9AgBG-t-kPOoocehw

New Disney and Pixar Movie Will Feature Italian Riviera and the Story of Luca

New Disney and Pixar Movie Will Feature Italian Riviera and the Story of Luca

Ever since Disney’s release of Coco, I’ve wondered if they would release a film about Italians. Well now is the moment we’ve been waiting for! Disney and Pixar are teaming up again to bring us Luca!

Expected to hit theaters June 18th, 2021, Luca is the story of an Italian boy growing up on the north-western Italian coast of Liguria. Luca is a “coming-of-age” story about a boy enjoying all Italy has to offer to him; Vespas, gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca even discovers his new best friend; the sea monster of Liguria! Luca sets out on the adventure of a lifetime with his new aquatic pal in this unforgettable story. 

The director of Luca is Academy Award Nominee, Enrico Casarosa, who also directed La Luna. 

Casarosa states the story of Luca is “deeply personal” to him. He grew up in the Italian Riviera, and the movie focuses on the treasures of friendship. 

“Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in Luca,” Casarosa said in a press statement. We can’t wait to see Luca next summer!

Russ Columbo – The Original Italian American Crooner

Russ Columbo – The Original Italian American Crooner

When I had this idea of making a website dedicated to Italian American’s in music and entertainment, I knew I’d find artists I had never heard of before. But, I had no idea I’d find someone so fast. When trying to figure out who I wanted to feature first, I started looking for early Italian American musicians, and found a name I had never heard before, Russ Columbo. 

Ruggiero Eugenio di Rodolfo Colombo, known as Russ Columbo, was an Italian American singer, songwriter, violinist and actor. He is famous for romantic songs such as “You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love,” “Prisoner of Love” and “Too Beautiful For Words.” Columbo was born in Camden, New Jersey, of Italian immigrants, Nicola and Giulia Colombo. He started playing violin when he was very young and debuted professionally at the age of 13. When he was 16, his family moved to L.A. But when he was 17, he left high school to study the violin with Calmon Luvovski and travel as a musician with bands around the country. 

At the age of 20, Columbo began to participate in motion pictures. While he started as a violinist and standby singer with Gus Arnheim and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra, Columbo eventually obtained feature film work.  Some of his films include, Woman to Woman (with Betty Compton), Wolf Song (with Lupe Vélez), and The Texan (with Gary Cooper). While he had some success in the film industry, his true success came as a baritone singer. Arnheim saw potential in Columbo, and when fellow baritone Bing Crosby started showcasing erratic behavior, Columbo was asked to step in and fill his place as lead singer. 

After garnering some public attention as the featured Arnheim Orchestra vocalist, Columbo decided to go off on his own. After many ups and downs during the Depression era, Columbo found a manager who found him some work on NBC radio. At the same time, Bing Crosby had been signed to a comparable radio program on CBS radio, which started some public rivalry. Radio executives saw the potential for some publicity of this rivalry, which started the “Battle of the Barritones.” While the public saw a heated rivalry, with Crosby and Columbo recording the same songs and headlining at theaters within miles of each other, privately the two were very friendly. 

The type of singing that was being popularized by Columbo, Crosby and teen idol and singer Rudy Vallee, was called crooning. While Columbo disliked this term, it caught on with the general public and is still used today. Columbo started composing his own songs such as “You Call It Maddness (But I Call It Love)”, “Let’s Pretend There’s A Moon,” recorded by Fats Waller and Tab Hunter, and his most famous song “Prisoner of Love.” “Prisoner of Love” became a standard that has been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tiny Tim, Bing Crosby and James Brown. It hit no. 1 on Billboard with Perry Como’s recording, and James Brown landed a Top 20 pop hit with his rendition. 

In 1934, Columbo was at the top of his game and was only 26 years old. But on September 2, 1934, what can only be described as a freak accident took Columbo’s life. While at a friend’s house, Columbo was accidentally shot while looking at his friend’s firearm collection. He contributed a lot to the entertainment world in those short 26 years, and it would have been amazing to think what the music scene would look like if he was able to continue writing more songs and recording. 

For more detailed information on Russ Columbo, here is a great article https://www.shsu.edu/~lis_fwh/book/roots_of_rock/support/crooner/Columbo2.htm

Also, see below for Russ Columbo’s version of his hit song “Prisoner of Love.”