A. J. Croce is an American singer-songwriter born on September 28, 1971, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He is the son of singers Jim Croce and Ingrid Croce. At age four, Croce was temporarily blinded due to physical abuse and remained totally blind for six years before regaining sight in one eye. He learned to play the piano and was inspired by artists such as Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. His first paying performance occurred at age 12 when he played cover versions at a bar mitzvah party. Croce signed his first recording contract with label Private Music at age 19. His recording career began with the debut eponymous studio recording A.J. Croce (1993) produced by T-Bone Burnett and John Simon. In 2003, he established the label Seedling Records and released the studio recording Adrian James Croce (2004), which received an award for Best Pop album at the 2004 San Diego Music Awards.
