Jim Messina

James Messina was born on December 5, 1947, in Maywood, California, and spent his early childhood in Harlingen, Texas. His father, a guitarist, influenced his interest in music from a young age, leading Messina to start playing guitar at five. At 16, he recorded “The Dragsters” with “His Jesters” in November 1964, featuring his lead guitar work on “The Jester.” His career progressed as a recording engineer and producer for Buffalo Springfield, eventually stepping in as bassist for two tracks on their final album, “Last Time Around.”

After Buffalo Springfield disbanded, Messina co-founded Poco in 1968 with Richie Furay. He played lead guitar, provided vocals, and contributed to songwriting for two studio albums and one live album. Following his departure from Poco due to touring exhaustion, Messina focused on record production, signing with Columbia Records. In 1970, he began producing Kenny Loggins, a collaboration initially intended for a solo album but evolved into the duo Loggins and Messina. Their debut, “Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina Sittin’ In,” was released in November 1971. Over seven years, they released seven more albums and sold over 20 million records.

After Loggins and Messina split in 1976, Messina pursued a solo career, releasing his first solo LP, “Oasis,” in 1979, which reached No. 58 on the Billboard 200. He later released “Messina” in 1981 and “One More Mile” in 1983 with Warner Bros. Records. In 1989, he participated in a successful reunion tour with Poco’s original lineup and contributed to their album “Legacy,” notably co-writing “Call It Love.” Messina also reunited with Kenny Loggins for tours in 2005 and 2009. He continues with his solo work, having released “Under a Mojito Moon-Part 1” in 2009, and “Jim Messina LIVE at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts” in 2012. He tours with his band, The Road Runners, releasing “Here, There and Everywhere” in 2025, and facilitates “The Songwriters’ Performance Workshop.”