Folk/Pop Musician. A native of Trenton, New Jersey, Muehleisen was Jim Croce's 'One Man Band.' Muehleisen became interested in music at a young age. He began taking piano lessons at the age of nine, and by the time he was 17, he was playing both the piano, picking at a guitar, and writing his own songs. Muehleisen then began to get gigs in local area coffeehouses and restaurants, where he played his folk music. In 1970, Muehleisen was signed as a solo artist to the Capitol Records label. Cashman & West produced his only LP - "Gingerbreadd." Before the album had been given a chance to succeed, Maury was introduced to fellow guitarist Jim Croce. Croce was supposed to backup Maury on the road to promote the LP, but Maury started creating arrangements to Jim's songs. Maury soon became Jim's lead acoustic guitarist and harmonizer. The blend of these two young singer-songwriters gave Croce several memorable hits including, 'Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,' 'I Got A Name,' 'Time In A Bottle,' 'Photographs And Memories,' 'You Don't Mess Around With Jim,' and 'Operator (That's Not The Way I Feel).' The futures of both Croce and Muehleisen seemed bright, but a short time later that future was cut tragicly short. On September 20, 1973, after performing a show in Natchitoches, Louisiana, the plane they were traveling in crashed. All six people on board were killed: Jim Croce, Maury Muehleisen, Croce's road manager Dennis Rast, Croce's booking agent Ken Cortese, stand-up comedian George Stevens and the pilot Robert Newton Elliott. Soon after their deaths, the last recording they had worked on just one week before the crash was released - 'Salon And Saloon,' written by Maury Muehleisen, also appeared on numerous Jim Croce compilation albums over the next few years including "The 50th Anniversary Collection" in 1992.
Folk/Pop Musician. A native of Trenton, New Jersey, Muehleisen was Jim Croce's 'One Man Band.' Muehleisen became interested in music at a young age. He began taking piano lessons at the age of nine, and by the time he was 17, he was playing both the piano, picking at a guitar, and writing his own songs. Muehleisen then began to get gigs in local area coffeehouses and restaurants, where he played his folk music. In 1970, Muehleisen was signed as a solo artist to the Capitol Records label. Cashman & West produced his only LP - "Gingerbreadd." Before the album had been given a chance to succeed, Maury was introduced to fellow guitarist Jim Croce. Croce was supposed to backup Maury on the road to promote the LP, but Maury started creating arrangements to Jim's songs. Maury soon became Jim's lead acoustic guitarist and harmonizer. The blend of these two young singer-songwriters gave Croce several memorable hits including, 'Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,' 'I Got A Name,' 'Time In A Bottle,' 'Photographs And Memories,' 'You Don't Mess Around With Jim,' and 'Operator (That's Not The Way I Feel).' The futures of both Croce and Muehleisen seemed bright, but a short time later that future was cut tragicly short. On September 20, 1973, after performing a show in Natchitoches, Louisiana, the plane they were traveling in crashed. All six people on board were killed: Jim Croce, Maury Muehleisen, Croce's road manager Dennis Rast, Croce's booking agent Ken Cortese, stand-up comedian George Stevens and the pilot Robert Newton Elliott. Soon after their deaths, the last recording they had worked on just one week before the crash was released - 'Salon And Saloon,' written by Maury Muehleisen, also appeared on numerous Jim Croce compilation albums over the next few years including "The 50th Anniversary Collection" in 1992.
Bio by: J Spencer
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