Excited to debut this one! I was thrilled when Steve Urbi contacted me and said he’d like to work up a duet of a Jim Croce song. We settled on “Operator” and based this on a live performance by Croce and Maury Muehleisen.

The song is a truly great one, even though it’s dated since nobody really knows who an “operator” is any more. The heartbreaking lyrics and the intricate guitar arrangement by Jim and Maury are wonderful. If you’re a true Croce fan, you should visit the Songfacts website to read the backstory on the song. I will share this tidbit with you: In 2000, the Martin guitar company produced 73 guitars in honor of Jim Croce. In each of these guitars, an uncirculated 1973 dime was inserted in the third fret fingerboard in honor of this song and the final line, “You can keep the dime.”