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BIOGRAPHY Record/Televison Producer,
Drummer, Artist Manager As one of the industry's versatile players, music industry professional Jim Della Croce exhibits skills that have helped him flourish as a record producer, television and video executive producer, artist manager, music publisher and publicist.
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Della Croce first fell in love with the music business in 1963 at the age of five, after peeking around his kitchen door and seeing his father, the late Dr. John Della Croce, sitting at the family piano surrounded by The Four Freshmen [then the Capitol Records recording artists credited as being the predecessors to the Beach Boys]. That experience sparked a fire that blazed when he "witnessed" The Beatles on the "Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964 and then saw A Hard Day's Night. "From that moment on, I could have told anyone who'd listen that I was going to be a drummer, producer, publicist, publisher, manager... if I had only known the right terminology," Della Croce laughs. At age eleven, after studying drums for years with Judy Garland's drummer, Al Mumaw, the young drummer joined the AFM (American Federation of Musicians) and entered the ranks of professional drummer. After graduating from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA, with a B.A. in English, and The Recording Workshop in 1979, Della Croce went on to do graduate work at New York University's prestigious School for the Arts, Education and Nursing Professions, where he focused on record production and record company operations. By day he studied at NYU in the Music Business and Technology program and interned at CBS Records in New York producing for the "Interchords" series of CBS, Epic, Portrait and Associated Labels. By night he combed the folk clubs of Greenwich Village in search of talent and inspiration. Della Croce turned to writing after moving to Nashville, TN in the late 80's and covered the music industry for noted trades such as R&R (Radio & Records), Music Row, Play, The Nashville Scene and Pro Sound News. He founded The Press Office public relations firm in 1988, initially representing Badfinger, Jerry Clower and music power BMG. He then accepted an invitation to join BMG's start-up label BNA, where he headed the Artist Development Department, overseeing media, video, imaging and production of interview records. "One of the proudest experiences in my professinal life is the input I contributed in the planning, development and execution of John Anderson's 1992 double-platinum comeback album Seminole Wind," Della Croce beams. The desire to return to independent work with influential artists beckoned Della Croce to reopen The Press Office in 1992, where he further refined it to become Nashville's first true artist development firm. After a decade, The Press Office thrives and is located on historic Music Row. Artist management was the next logical challenge for Della Croce. Asylum Records' answer to Gram Parsons, Bob Woodruff, signed on as the flagship client. Rock superstars, The Power Station (Robert Palmer and Andy Taylor) joined the fold in 1995. The American Band, Grand Funk Railroad, came on board in 1997 and enjoyed the fruits of a monumental comeback becoming one of Pollstar's Hot 100 Touring Acts of 1998. The Grand Funk Railroad co-manage arrangement with longtime friend and business associate, Bobby Roberts, proved to be another high watermark for the young entrepreneur. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Levon Helm of The Band later joined the roster as did rocker Rick Derringer and others. Mark Farner, Valerie Carter and Nate Barrett round out the current management roster. In 1998, while drifting through a guitar show in Nashville, Della Croce heard whom he thought to be Chet Atkins playing; but when the crowd cleared he beheld a fifteen-year-old prodigy. Della Croce signed the young Nate Barrett to Pathfinder Management, Pathfinder-Uncas Music B.M.I. and Pathfinder Productions and scored a record deal with Disney-owned Lyric Street Records, after a mere seventeen days. Pathfinder Productions' current projects include Nate Barrett's debut record for Lyric Street Records and MTV Networks/Viacom-owned TNN's (The National Network) music specials series, Classic Rock: The Hits . In 90 million homes, this series of music specials features live performances by Jethro Tull, America, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Ambrosia, The Tubes and Night Ranger aomng others. Classic Rock: The Hits is co-executive produced and co-created by Della Croce for Pathfinder Productions and Martin Fisher for High-Five Entertainment. Barrett's release on Lyric Street is co-produced by Della Croce and Chuck Ainlay (Mark Knopfler's producer). Jim Della Croce continues to grow his public relations, music publishing, production and management concerns while enjoying his family, wife and partner, Erin, daughter Sean Marie and son James, and of relatives and friends in Nashville, The Poconos and Martha's Vineyard. He is a member of NARAS (the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences), the Academy of Country Music, the Country Music Association and the Nashville Songwriters Foundation. Della Croce endorses CAD Professional Microphones, Bourgeois acoustic guitars and Pro-Mark drum sticks. |
