AJ Croce pays homage to his father, Drexel Hill folk singer Jim Croce, in “Croce Plays Croce” at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Oct. 22, writes Stephi Wild for Broadway World.

Jim Croce had a professional recording and touring career cut short after he died in a plane crash.

Yet he’s considered one of the greatest songwriters and artists ever.

AJ Croce, who went partially blind after physical abuse from his mother’s ex-boyfriend, is a virtuoso pianist.

He has a 25-year touring and recording career, charting 18 Top 20 singles and 10 albums on radio.

AJ Croce maintains a love of music, including blues, soul, pop, jazz, and rock n’ roll. His affinity could be called genetic; in addition to the talent obtained from his famous father, his mother, Ingrid, contributed as well, as a singer/songwriter herself. 

AJ lost his father when he was two. He avoided his father’s music so he could find his own musical identity.

Several years back he rediscovered his father’s music. He started performing a Croce plays Croce mix of his father’s songs and his own.

AJ loves seeing “the joy it brings audiences,” and the flexibility the mix offers to change up each concert.

Read more at Broadway World about “Croce plays Croce.”