Biography
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Born
13 November 1947 (age 76)
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Born In
Houston, Harris County, Texas, United States
An artist who has blazed his own trail as a writer, singer, musician and composer, J.C. Crowley is an American original. His creative wanderlust has led him to write and perform pop-rock hits like the instantly recognizable “Baby Come Back” (1978), a No. 1 single on one of two gold records he recorded with the band Player, and break new ground with “Paint the Town and Hang the Moon Tonight” (1988), a rockabilly roof-shaker that climbed to No. 13 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. In addition to writing songs recorded by music legends such as Johnny Cash, Smokey Robinson and Guy Clark, this Renaissance man has composed for film and television productions seen worldwide, sold screenplays to Hollywood studios and earned a spot in the finals of a national poetry contest.
Born in Houston and raised on the Texas Gulf Coast, John Charles Crowley spent his early years working outdoors and developed a keen appreciation for nature. In the course of his career he would draw on these formative experiences to imbue his music with ruggedly romantic themes, celebrating blue-collar grit and the freedom to roam. Impressed by one of Crowley’s early demo tapes, Jesse Ed Davis, then the lead guitarist for Taj Mahal, invited him to Los Angeles. Crowley and his dog hopped in his pickup truck and headed west where he met musician Peter Beckett at a Hollywood party. The pair began writing and performing together and eventually co-founded Player, whose second single, “This Time I’m in it for Love,” was also a Top-10 hit.
Always interested in expanding his sonic frontiers, Crowley reinvented himself as a Nashville star in the 1980s. His debut album as a solo artist was “Beneath the Texas Moon,” a heady mixture of musical influences ranging from classical, jazz, R&B and pop to timeless country. The LP produced three hit singles and netted him nominations for Best New Male Vocalist from both the Cashbox Nashville and Academy of Country Music awards. Since then, Crowley’s reputation as a songwriter has continued to grow. Credited on Grammy-nominated albums by artists such as Emmylou Harris and Charlie Wilson, he remains a uniquely creative force.
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