Jim Croce Live _ Part 2
13 min
Jim Croce _ Great folk
guitarist
Croce had just completed a
concert in Natchitoches,
Louisiana, and was flying to
Sherman, Texas. The pilot and
all passengers (Croce,
Muehleisen, and the comic who
was the show's warm up act)
were killed instantly at 10:45
PM EST on September 20, 1973,more

Jim Croce Live _ Part 2
13 min
Jim Croce _ Great folk
guitarist
Croce had just completed a
concert in Natchitoches,
Louisiana, and was flying to
Sherman, Texas. The pilot and
all passengers (Croce,
Muehleisen, and the comic who
was the show's warm up act)
were killed instantly at 10:45
PM EST on September 20, 1973,
less than an hour after the
end of their last concert.
Upon takeoff, the plane did
not gain enough altitude to
clear an area of large pecan
trees at the end of the
runway. The official report
from the NTSB hints that the
charter pilot, Robert Newton
Elliott, who had severe
coronary artery disease and
had run a portion of the 3
miles to the airport from a
motel, may have suffered a
heart attack causing him to
crash into the trees on a
clear runway with excellent
visibility. A later
investigation placed sole
blame for the accident on
pilot error.

Croce was laid to rest in the
Philadelphia area, even though
he had recently relocated to
San Diego. Family, friends,
and fans were stunned to learn
of the premature demise of two
gifted, gentle, and
unpretentious
singer-songwriters, who were
taken well before their time.

News of the premature deaths
of the duo sparked a massive
interest in Jim's first two
albums -- 'You Don't Mess
Around With Jim' and 'Life and
Times' - as well as the 'I Got
A Name' single, which was
released later that same week.
This was followed closely by
the release of the album of
the same title. Sales soared
and resulted in three gold
records. A 'Greatest Hits'
package released in 1974 also
proved to be extraordinarily
popular. The catalogue became
a staple of radio play,
turntables, cassettes, and CDs
for years, and is still
receiving significant airplay
in the first decade of the
21st century.

Category Music

Tags Jim, Croce, Great, folk, country, guitarist, concert, video