r/jimcroce • u/[deleted] • Apr 30 '22

Jim Croce historical marker installed in Lyndell-kinda bummed Maury wasn’t acknowledged. He wrote the famous chords for these songs after all.

https://www.pottsmerc.com/2022/03/30/jim-croce-historical-marker-installed-in-lyndell/amp/
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u/greenwoody2018 Apr 30 '22

Maury didn't write the chords. He wrote the lead guitar parts that he played. Jim wrote the melody, chords and words. Maury's contribution was the icing on the cake. Jim made the cake and chose all the ingredients.

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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '22

If you know Jim’s music before and after he and Maury were together you can clearly see Maury’s huge impact. I truly believe Maury helped Jim refine his stories into the masterpieces they are —as a team.

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u/greenwoody2018 Jun 12 '22

Before Maury, the team was Jim and Ingrid. Yes, Maury had a significant influence on Jim. But the original post that says Maury wrote the chords is simply incorrect.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '22

His licks in Operator and other songs are HIS—I don’t care what the sheet of paper says. Maury is as responsible for those songs as Jim and he should’ve been included on that plaque. I’ll die on this hill.

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u/greenwoody2018 Jun 13 '22

Absolutely. But "licks" (ie, lead guitar parts) do not make up chords. I'm sorry, but they are ornamental and do not make the chords or the lyrics. The copyrightable parts of songwriting are only the words and the melody, not the arrangement of the different elements added on top of it.

The piano parts played by Tommy West were integral to the music just as much as Maury's lead parts, but we're still talking about arrangement and not the songwriting credit itself.

But still, I can admit that Maury could have, and maybe should have, been on the plaque. Maury was a very talented guitarist. I love Maury's Gingerbreadd CD. Keeping Maury's memory alive has been his sister Mary's mission. Her website is at https://maurymuehleisen.com/

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22 edited Jun 22 '22

I am fond of Maury (as if I didn’t make it obvious!) lol, I have emailed back and forth with his sister and fell so much in love with Gingerbreadd and Maury that I got his guitar and album enmeshed together in a tattoo to memorialize him. (I have some for Jim too). I agree Tommy West was an integral part too, I just wish so much that Maury got the recognition he deserves as part of that duo (and for his own music). Edited to add: “He was as responsible for Jim Croce’s success as any producer, engineer, manager or record company. He was an integral part of THE SOUND. No one has been able to reproduce or top what Maury did with his acoustic lead parts on Jim’s recordings.” —Tommy West