Jim Messina - Part 1

Jim Messina was a member of Buffalo Springfield, then an original member of Poco, before he joined with Kenny Loggins to form the duo, Loggins & Messina. His first LP was released sometime in '64 and was credited to Jim Messina and His Jesters and it was called The Dragsters. This is the LP that was reissued on CD on the semi-legit Euro label Surf in the '90s. It's great stuff, 14 songs, 11 of them written by Messina. The covers are: an uptempo version of The Breeze and I, and surf-guitar-led versions of fifties instro hits Honky Tonk and Raunchy.














Buffalo Springfield 1967: Dewey Martin,Jim Messina,Neil Young,Richie Furay,Steven Stills


If you want to watch the video turn off mp3 player first!

Jim began working with Buffalo Springfield around 1966 as a recording engineer on the second album entitled Buffalo Springfield Again. In 1967, he started on the third album entitled Last Time Around as an engineer. During the course of the production, he was asked by the group to produce the band. Shortly thereafter, Jim replaced Bruce Palmer, the bass player and toured and recorded with the band up until completion and release of the record. After the Buffalo Springfield, Richie Furay and Jim formed Poco and began producing demos and searching for a record label. On December 5, 1968, Poco signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records, and began recording the first Poco album. Jims Buffalo Springfield and Poco recordings are already posted, see Richie Furay Articles or +Poco label.

Sittin' In is the first album by Loggins & Messina, released in 1971. It began as a solo album by Kenny Loggins; Jim Messina was with Columbia Records, serving as an independent producer when he met Loggins. In the course of producing Loggins' work, Messina provided vocals and guitar, leading to the album's full title.

Their second album was released in 1972. Following on the success of their first album, this album built on the strengths of their debut outing. It also became the true introduction of the team, not as singles playing together, but rather as a team that played as one. It featured two songs that charted, with Your Mama Don't Dance reaching its peak at #4, their highest charting single. The album itself charted at #16.

Full Sail, their third album released in 1973. The album showed the versatility of the duo, with everything from 1950's retro to sappy ballads. The singles where My Music and Watching The River Run. The album reached #10 on the Pop Charts.

to be continued