1972's You Don't Mess Around with Jim proved to be Jim Croce's breakout album. Produced by Terry Cashman and Tommy West, and featuring the brilliant guitar interplay of Maury Muehleisen, Croce's third studio album catapulted the seasoned songwriter into the public consciousness and spent 93 weeks on the charts.
Over the last 50+ years, the tracks "You Don't Mess Around with Jim," "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)," "Time in a Bottle," and "Photographs and Memories" have become staples of the contemporary folk canon. The album posthumously went to Number 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1974 and has been certified Gold.