A.J. Croce brings Croce: Two Generations of American Music to Montana.
With his latest album, Just Like Medicine, A.J. Croce celebrates a long legacy of music-making with “Croce: Two Generations of American Music.” The show comes to the University of Montana Dennison Theatre in Missoula Nov. 2; the Alberta Bair Theater on Friday, Nov. 3; and the Ellen Theatre in Bozeman, Nov. 4.
The son of legendary Jim Croce, A.J. Croce is a singer/songwriter with an impressive 20-plus-year career who plays a mean boogie-woogie piano. He’ll perform some of his dad’s biggest hits, songs from his latest album and music that inspired them both.
“A.J. Croce has wisdom beyond his years,” says Willie Nelson. “With his music, he represents his generation with a profound sense of honesty in his lyrics and quality in his delivery. The future of entertainment is safe in his hands!”
Croce is a piano man first and foremost, and a vocal stylist second. His muted growl pulls from a host of American traditions and anti-heroes – it’s part New Orleans, part juke joint and part soul. At the same time it evokes New York, a continuum where John Lurie meets Lou Reed.
He’s also an accomplished songwriter, driven by a personal muse, and informed by a life on a boomerang of tragedy.
Just Like Medicine, his gritty and accomplished ninth studio album, was produced by legendary soul singer-songwriter and producer Dan Penn. It’s Croce’s latest, and arguably greatest, effort yet. Penn wrote such hits as “The Dark End of the Street,” “Cry Like a Baby,” “I’m Your Puppet” and “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man.”
Also making appearances on the recording are Grammy Award-winning country artist Vince Gill, Steve Cropper (Booker T. & the MGs, Blues Brothers, and author of many Stax hits), the McCrary Sisters and the Muscle Shoals Horns.
Croce’s nine albums have been released via both major and independent labels, and have charted 17 Top 20 singles. A virtuoso piano player, he has performed at a TED Talk and gave a master class at the University of Barcelona. Croce has also performed on major talk shows and news programs including The Late Show, The Tonight Show, and The Today Show.
Missoula: 8 p.m. Nov. 2 at the UM Dennison Theatre; call 406-243-4051.
Billings: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Alberta Bair Theater; call 406-256-6052.
Bozeman: 8 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Ellen; call 406-585-5885.