A.J. Croce barely knew his father, Upper Darby native Jim Croce, before he lost him in a plane crash back on Sept. 20, 1973. Now he’s reintroducing Jim Croce’s legacy to audiences.

Croce’s songs like “Operator” and “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” are being performed once again by his 52-year-old son on a Croce Plays Croce Tour, writes Jordan Rubtagh for People.

Jim Croce was at an amazing point in his career when the crash happened, with three Top 10 songs in 18 months.

Since then, A.J. has become a musician himself.

 “We share a love of storytelling and music. I’m not a cover band per se, though there are times when I sound a lot like my father — even though I’m 20-some years older than him at this point.” A.J. said.

It’s only recently he’s been willing to perform his father’s music in public, keeping Jim Croce’s legacy alive.

“I just didn’t feel there was integrity capitalizing on his music without making a mark of my own,” A.J. said.

The crowds have been receptive to his father’s music, and now he wants to connect with something that meant so much to people while making it alive and new.

See the poignant message Jim Croce left his son in People.

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