It’s been almost forty years since the plane carrying Jim Croce crashed in Natchitoches, Louisiana and while his widow, Ingrid, has been the protector of his legacy, a book from her perspective has been the one piece missing from the history of the iconic singer.
The book is an incredible work and stands above the stereotypical tell all rock bios. Instead, it presents a very human side to the singer, clarifying that his songs came from real life experiences. The stories are insightful and anyone who has ever been in love at a young age will recognize the struggles young Jim and Ingrid Croce faced.
“I Got a Name” also chronicles the struggle Jim faced with his Father’s inability to accept Jims pursuit of a music career after leaving college. While no one can argue that Croce succeeded as a musician, neither Jim nor his father lived long enough to appreciate how many people Jim Croce’s music touched.
The book is so well written that even persons completely unfamiliar with Croce’s music (if that is possible) will still find it a wonderfully moving story. While “I Got a Name” does not have the traditional happy ending, it does leave the reader with a sense of resolution and an appreciation for the care Ingrid, and her current husband Jimmy Rock, have taken to tell this story the way it should be told.
