TROY – pop music iconoclast A.J. Croce comes to Troy to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Thursday Nov. 10 to celebrate the release of “Twelve Tales” and the 20th anniversary of his acclaimed, “That’s me in a Bar.”
Compass Records put out the re-release of “That’s Me in the Bar,” the 12-track album that established Croce as a singular artistic force in 1995. The re-release features a bonus track, “If You Want Me to Stay,” recorded 20 years ago but locked in the vault until now which, features Red Hot Chili Peppers funky bass player Flea and the vocals re-recorded by Croce this year in Los Angeles.
Croce, son of legendary singer-songwriter Jim Croce, began his career at age 18 opening for B.B. King and has since spanned genres from jazz to Americana to blues to pop.
He was blinded as a result of abuse from his mother’s boyfriend at age four, regaining partial vision at age ten. During that time, he taught himself piano while listening to other great blind artists like Ray Charles.
David Wild of Rolling Stone considers him “one of our greatest young songwriters” and with good reason. Croce has written with artists including Robert Earl Keen, Gary Nicholson, Roger Brown and Will Jennings, and headlined festivals and shared the stage with artists including Ray Charles, Lyle Lovett, James Brown and Rod Stewart.
Croce’s eight studio albums have charted on seven U.S. radio charts including Top 40, College, Americana, and Blues and charted 17 singles in the Top 20. Additionally, Croce has performed on Leno, Letterman, Conan and Austin City Limits and received praise from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, People Magazine and more.
The 2014 release of “Twelve Tales” was Croce’s eighth studio album on Compass Records and considered by him to be his most ambitious recording project to date. He recorded with six legendary producers in their studios with their musicians in five U.S. cities over the course of the year, while releasing one song per month exclusively on iTunes.
Croce will be at the Troy Saving Bank Music Hall on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $27.
