Hump Day Artist of the Week XI

On time again... hopefully I can make this a habit again!

Well, I've gone back to the 80s and 90s for some of the Hump Day Artists throughout the early stages of this series and now I take us to the 70s with the one, the only, Jim Croce.

My dad was the great man to get me into listening to Jim Croce and I found it fitting that on his birthday (let's all give a collective "Awww") I would feature one of the artists that we both agree is absolutely fantastic. Happy Birthday Dad!

You might be thinking, "I'm not sure that I know of Jim Croce..." Rest assured that you do if you've heard the song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown." That's his most notable hit from 1973 when it reached number 1 on the charts. You're proabably also familiar with "Time in a Bottle." However, while I enjoy those tunes, I strongly believe that he has much better material.

When considering his faster tempo songs, I don't think that you can beat "You Don't Mess Around with Jim." It's got great storytelling, humor and is just fantastic fun. The tale about Jim and Slim butting heads over a game of pool is grisly but still able to put a smile on your face. Followed closely behind would be "Rapid Roy that Stockcar Boy." That song is just a joyride of smiles. I dare you to listen to it and not tap your foot, finger, head or any other extremity. Go ahead, try. Yeah, couldn't do it could ya?

When Jim has to slow it down, he does that just as effectively. The emotion that's evident in "Operator" is just heart-breaking and Mr. Croce's immaculate finger picking on his acoustic guitar just makes your insides feel like mush... but in a good way. "Photographs and Memories" is another great retrospective song that just about anyone can relate to. Another thing that Jim does very well is making sure that each of his songs can speak to a wide audience, but he doesn't sacrifice any of his integrity in doing so. Few are able to acheive such a feat.

And now for something new to the Hump Day Artist of the Week, I will attach a YouTube video of a live performance from each artist every week. That way you can check out the music right away rather than thinking you'll check it out later and then forgetting. It's all about instant gratification with you, isn't it?