James Joseph Croce was born on January 10, 1943, in the Little Italy section in the south end of Philadelphia, Pa. His father was Giacomo Alberto Croce (April 14, 1914 – March 8, 1972) who had emigrated from the community of Trasacco (population 6,241 in the 2016 census) in the province of L’Aquila in the region of Abruzzo.  His mother was Flora Maria Babusci (May 28, 1913 – December 22, 2000) who had emigrated from the city of Palermo in Sicily. 

When Croce was young, his family moved to the adjoining suburb of Upper Darby where he graduated from the local high school in June 1960.  He then studied for a year at the Malvern Preparatory School before enrolling in Villanova University where he majored in psychology.  While there, he became a member of the Villanova Singers and the Villanova Spires.  The latter group performed off-campus as The Coventry Lads.