AJ CROCE Comes to the Pantages in October

Hennepin Arts has announced that BMG recording artist/singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist A.J. Croce announces his new forthcoming album, “Heart of the Eternal,” to be released on March 7. In conjunction with “Heart of the Eternal,” Croce has kicked off a national yearlong “Heart of The Eternal Tour” with a stop in Minneapolis on Friday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Produced by Shooter Jennings (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker), the album will feature a selection of songs that journey from psychedelia to Philadelphia soul to Latin-infused jazz-pop. 

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 7 at 10 a.m. to the general public at the State Theatre Box Office (805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis) and online.

“Heart of the Eternal” is the latest collection of Croce's songwriting and heart-on-sleeve emotion -- the follow up to his critically lauded cover album “By Request” —his first original body of work since 2017's “Just Like Medicine,” which was hailed as “brilliant” by No Depression and a “fluid expression of sorrow and gratitude” by Pop Matters. Croce, son of legendary singer/songwriter Jim Croce, has toured with/collaborated with such legends and luminaries as B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Leon Russell, Allen Toussaint, Neville Brothers, Bela Fleck and Ry Cooder, to name a few, all while building up an acclaimed catalog that blurs the boundaries between blues, soul, rock & roll, Americana, and much more.

Says Croce: “I've always felt that music is the heart of our humanity. It's the purest way to connect to one another. Every songwriter I've ever met has told me that they don't know where their greatest songs have come from. Maybe it's our dreams or subconscious that allow us to draw from that eternal well of creativity. I don't know the answer but I'm always looking for it. While stylistically diverse, this album is my search for the heart of the eternal.”

Croce adds about “I Got A Feeling,”: “I'd written the music and had the hook for a few months before sharing the song with Tommy Sims, who I thought would be the perfect collaborator. The groove, my guitar riff and my distorted Rhodes solo were all influenced by the psychedelic soul of the late 60's. Artists like The Chambers Brothers and Shuggie Otis were the inspirational point of departure.”

Recorded at the Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California, Croce's 11th studio album features bassist David Barard (a Grammy-winner who performed with Dr. John for nearly four decades), drummer Gary Mallaber (whose credits include Van Morrison's Moondance and Tupelo Honey), and guitarist James Pennebaker (Delbert McClinton, Jimmie Dale Gilmore). The album was completed during Croce's downtime from his ongoing “Croce Plays Croce” tour—a widely celebrated run in which he performs classic songs from his late father Jim, along with his own material and a number of specially curated covers. 

A piano virtuoso who started playing as a small child and toured with B.B. King at just 18-years-old, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter has since collaborated and performed with legends and luminaries across a wide expanse of genres (Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Leon Russell, Allen Toussaint, Neville Brothers, Bela Fleck and Ry Cooder, to name a few), all while building up an acclaimed catalog that blurs the boundaries between blues, soul, rock & roll, Americana, and much more. A.J. has also co-written songs with such formidable tunesmiths as Leon Russell, Dan Penn, Robert Earl Keen, and multi- GRAMMY-winner Gary Nicholson. From his childhood, piano became something of a lifeline for Croce, who suffered a total loss of eyesight from ages four to 10 and turned to blind pianists like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder for much-needed comfort and inspiration.

Over the course of an extraordinary career that's found him working with some of the most esteemed producers in music history—including Jack Clement (Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley), Tony Berg (Fiona Apple, Bob Dylan), and Greg Cohen (Tom Waits, John Zorn) -- A.J.'s 10 albums have all charted on: Top 40, blues, Americana, jazz, college and Radio 1, and he has landed 22 singles on a variety of Top 20 charts. His songwriting and style have evolved from jazz & blues on his debut and sophomore albums, to the roots-rock of the more recent collaborative recordings like “Cantos” with Ben Harper, “Twelve Tales” with Allen Toussaint, and “Just Like Medicine” with Vince Gill.   More recently, A.J.'s widely acclaimed “Croce Plays Croce 50th Anniversary Tour” honored the memory of his late, legendary father, singer-songwriter, Jim Croce, as A.J. performed Jim's songs as well as his own catalog to packed houses nationwide.

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