Jim Messina has worn many hats in the music industry over the past half-century, and his career has intersected with lasting stars including Kenny Loggins and Buffalo Springfield. Now, he’s bringing new songs and old classics to The Oaks Theater on March 17.
The California native started playing music as a teenager, getting his start in the business before even graduating high school. He bought his first guitar from songwriter Jimmy Webb.
“The day I picked up my diploma, I moved to Hollywood,” said Messina, now 78. “I thought I was going to be a great successful musician.”
But the talent in Hollywood intimidated him, as a 17-year-old just starting out, so he took an apprenticeship to learn how to be a recording engineer instead, learning the technical side of the industry. While working at Sunset Studios, he was working on a session with David Crosby when a young woman named Joni Mitchell came in to record.
“I remember thinking at the time, I’ve never really heard a voice like this, and I’ve never really listened to songs that had colors and moods and that I could get pictures from,” Messina said.
That moment was influential for his own music and work.
Messina would go on to play with bands including Buffalo Springfield and Poco.
“By the time the Buffalo Springfield ‘Last Time’ album was in process, I was their bass player, their producer and their engineer,” he said.
He left Poco in late 1970, tired of the road and ready to get back to the technical side of the business.
“I ended up signing a deal with Columbia Records to be a producer. They sent me quite a few artists.”
He didn’t feel like he was the right fit for several of those artists, including Olivia Newton-John and Andy Williams. Then came a young man named Kenny Loggins.
Loggins was a little odd from the first time they met — Messina said that with his beard, baggy Levi’s and velour sweatshirt, he looked more like the California Redwoods than Hollywood.
“A happy-go-lucky kind of guy, I thought he had a nice personality,” Messina said.
After playing some of his songs on a guitar that he borrowed from Messina, Loggins impressed the producer, but the tone of the songs veered toward folk music.
“I mean, we’ve already gone through the folk days,” he said. “I didn’t know what to think.”
Messina was on a year-long contract without a record, and he wanted to make sure that if he took on this project, it would have legs.
“I asked him how he made money, and he said, ‘oh, I write songs.’ … I said, ‘well, what other kind of songs do you write other than what I’ve heard?’ He said, ‘oh, I can write anything.’ ”
Loggins performed songs in the styles of various artists, including Leon Russell and Elton John. Messina thought that he could find a way to split genres with Loggins’ music, infusing rock, folk, country and other styles to give the singer broad appeal.
“I decided, at that point in time, that I would give it a shot,” Messina said.
He brought together a group of musicians and they rehearsed for nine or 10 months. Messina was very thorough in setting up Loggins for success — so much so that he decided he would go out on tour with the artist to introduce his fans from Buffalo Springfield and Poco to the new hitmaker.
“I said, we can just call it Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina, ‘Sittin’ In,’ and that will be our theme for the album,” Messina said.
But the record went over so well that Columbia Records president Clive Davis wanted to keep the duo together.
“He said, ‘I know you wanted to produce records, but this rarely happens to most people, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I think, for you and Kenny.’ ”
Davis proposed that the two work as a duo, as Messina and Loggins. But that just wouldn’t work.
“I said, ‘quite honestly, I don’t want it to be Messina and Loggins,” Messina said. “I want it to be Loggins and Messina.’ ”
With songs including “Danny’s Song,” “Your Mama Don’t Dance” and “House on Pooh Corner,” the partnership’s music has stood the test of time. Together they recorded eight albums and have sold more than 16 million records.
Messina has enjoyed a long career in the industry, and he’ll be performing with a great band of musicians at The Oaks. From original songs to covers, Messina’s bringing a set of crowd-pleasers.
“We’re starting to find that people just want to hear the music,” he said.
Jim Messina will perform at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont on March 17. For tickets, visit theoakstheater.com.