We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chris Croce. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chris below.

Chris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I’ve been playing music for as long as I can remember. I began learning on piano at a very young age (thanks Mom for keeping me in lessons), and eventually made my way into band playing French Horn, and then eventually to my main instrument, Bass, for jazz band. I know it sounds cliche, but the best way I learned was practicing for a long time. I still remember when I had my first breakthrough – I was at a summer camp where I literally was practicing for 6-8 hours a day. I had this one exercise that really pushed me both physically on the instrument and mentally with the theory and concept behind it. I think an essential skill to honing any craft is the ability to understand a concept in multiple ways. I can read a sheet of music, but do I know what it will sound like without having to hear it? I can hear a melody, but do I know what that scale is in relation to the key of the song? Being able to dissect something in various ways makes it easier to fill in the entire picture. As a young kid in both HS and College, I tried to expose myself to as many different concepts and ideas as possible. While I knew I couldn’t master every single concept thrown my way, it allowed me to find what resonated most with me and begin to build my own voice. To this day, I still try to push myself to look at music in different ways, whether it’s trying a different instrument, technique, or a new genre.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been a professional musician in Nashville, TN for over a decade. I primarily play bass (both upright and electric bass), but recently have also had work on electric and acoustic guitar, as well as background vocals. As a graduate from the Frost School of Music from University of Miami, I had quite the jazz education, however I worked with a lot of the songwriters and contemporary students as well. This has led me to working with a variety of great artists from a ton of different genres, ranging from country star Lindsey Ell, Kyle Cook from the rock band Matchbox 20, folk pop artist Girl Named Tom (winners of The Voice), to Bruce Hornsby, who continues to push the boundaries of piano pop music. I’ve also recorded with a number of Nashville based artists, and recently joined The Recording Academy as a Voting Member in 2024. Aside from performance and recording, I also have worked extensively as a local booker/manager for various gigs around town. I’ve contracted and booked numerous local musicians for hundreds of gigs throughout my time in town, ranging from smaller lounge gigs to 12pc party bands.

One of the things I’m most proud of is my relationship with all of the musicians I get to work with. I really try to take the time to not just learn each person’s musical tendencies, but also where they are from and what influenced them to play the way they play. The beauty of music is that there’s no one way to do it – we all took different paths to learn what we know. There’s something special playing in a group where the drummer went to HS in Brazil, the pianist learned by ear growing up in church, and the guitarist learned from his parents who were both musicians. When we are all listening to each other and making music together in that moment, there’s nothing better.

Another thing I am very proud of how I present myself as a performer. Whether I’m at a local bar in Nashville with maybe 20 people paying attention, or playing for an Arena full of 10,000 people, you know I am giving my all to the music. One of my earliest influences in Bruce Springsteen, and if you’ve ever seen a Bruce show, he plays each show as if it’s the last one he’ll ever do, and that has stuck with me for as long as I’ve been playing.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think the biggest thing about being in a creative industry vs. a non-creative industry is that there is no one path that works for everyone, and it often times isn’t a linear trajectory. In most other industries, there’s a series of check points or goals to attain that help you get a promotion or a new job, and then as you keep working you make your way “up the ladder”. For me, there’s no single gig or recording that guarantees you’ve “made it” to the next level. I’ve learned to accept that as long as I’m working hard, putting my all into my craft, and bringing a positive attitude to the job or project, things will find a way to work themselves out. Sometimes it leads to a breakthrough gig, but if it doesn’t, that’s ok, as for me the journey is still fulfilling. I get to make music with some of my closest friends – how many people get to say they work with their close friends on a day in and day out basis?

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

A longtime book that has shaped how I organize myself is Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. As someone with ADHD, it’s super important for me to write things down and keep a list of what I need to get done. I still try to leave myself dedicated time to be open and creative, but I find I’m actually more creative on days where I’m more organized. Another book I’ve been getting into more recently is Thich Nhat Hanh’s You Are Here. I’m not done with it yet, but it talks about the power of living in the present moment. I’ll admit that this is more for personal philosophy than business, however I’ve found that the better I feel about non-work aspects of my life, I’m more productive and more creative when I am working.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chriscroce.com
• Instagram: @chriscrocemusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriscrocebass/

Image Credits

Trells Eye Photography
Doug Hinesbaugh