"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was a #1 hit in America in 1973 for Jim Croce from his album Life & Times. James Joseph Croce (January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973), popularly known as Jimmy C. (pronounced JHIM-ee SEE), was an American singer-songwriter. ... Life & Times is an album by American singer/songwriter Jim Croce, released in 1973. ...

The song is about a bad man who keeps a .32 gun in his pocket and a razor in his shoe. He then flirts with the wife of a jealous man while at a bar. The two men fight and Leroy looks like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ...

His inspiration for the song was a friend he met in his brief time in the Army:

"I met him at Fort Dix, New Jersey. We were in lineman (telephone) school together. He stayed there about a week, and one evening he turned around and said he was really fed up and tired. He went AWOL, and then came back at the end of the month to get his pay check. They put handcuffs on him and took him away. Just to listen to him talk and see how 'bad' he was, I knew someday I was gonna write a song about him." Fort Dix is a census-designated place located in Burlington County, New Jersey. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Linemen repairing overhead lines (that supply power to trains) Linemen repairing electricity distribution lines (that supply power to homes) A lineman or linesman is a tradesman who constructs and maintains electric power transmission and distribution facilities. ... AWOL (pronounced a-wall) is an acronym for the United States and other armed forces expression Absent WithOut Leave or Absence Without Official Leave. The United States Marine Corps and the United States Navy use the term Unauthorized Absence (UA) instead. ...

Croce explained the chorus reference to Leroy Brown being "meaner than a junkyard dog":

"Yeah, I spent about a year and a half driving those $29 cars, so I drove around a lot looking for a universal joint for a '57 Chevy panel truck or a transmission for a '51 Dodge. I got to know many junkyards well, and they all have those dogs in them. They all have either an axle tied around their necks or an old lawnmower to keep 'em at least slowed down a bit, so you have a decent chance of getting away from them." A universal joint A universal joint, U joint, Cardan joint or Hardy-Spicer joint is a joint in a rigid rod that allows the rod to bend in any direction. ... 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air 2-Door Hardtop 57 Chevy is a nickname of the 1957 Chevrolet made in America from late 1956 through much of 1957 by General Motors. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Junkyard may refer to: Junkyard - a motorvehicle wrecking yard Junkyard (band) - a hard rock band This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Chart history

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was released in April 1973 and peaked at number one three months later. It was still on the charts on September 20 when Croce died in a plane crash in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The city of Natchitoches (pronounced , or NAK-uh-tush) is the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W...

Will it Go Round in Circles was a #1 song for Billy Preston in 1973 Categories: | | ... William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American soul musician from Houston, Texas, raised mostly in Los Angeles, California. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... This is a list of number-one hits in the United States by year from the Billboard Hot 100. ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... The Morning After (aka The Song from The Poseidon Adventure) is an Academy Award-winning song, first released in May 1973 (see 1973 in music). ... A former secretary, Maureen McGovern quickly became the new it singer in 1973 with the Oscar-winning Morning After. ...

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" in popular culture

• In the August 29, 2007 episode of TBS's "House of Payne, the episode's title is "Sad, Sad Leroy Brown," referring to the fact that character Leroy Brown's house burned down and he had to move-in with the Payne family.

Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... TBS also stands for Tokyo Broadcasting System, a Japanese television network. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

External links

• Jim Croce Official Site
• SuperSeventies 1973 Singles