Legendary singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and engineer Jim Messina comes to Bartlett on Wednesday, Sept. 20, for one performance. He will be onstage at the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center at 7:30 p.m.
Born in California and raised for part of his childhood in Texas, Messina was an influential figure in California’s budding country rock scene. His father was a semi-professional guitarist, and Messina picked up the guitar himself at the age of five.
He was a member of Buffalo Springfield with the iconic musicians Neil Young and Stephen Stills. He and Richie Furay founded POCO, recording “Crazy Love.” Messina also co-founded the soft rock-pop duo Loggins & Messina with Kenny Loggins, making “Your Mama Don’t Dance” a huge hit. The duo released nine albums in seven years and sold more than 16 million copies.
He also founded the Songwriter’s Performance Workshop, designed specifically for singer-songwriters who want to become successful commercial songwriters and performers. During the five-day intensive workshop, Messina works with singer-songwriters and poets to help them discover new ways to find the words to express their emotions, feelings and thoughts in musical and lyrical terms.
Messina, 69, was a major contributor to music of the 1960s and 1970s. He performs a wide range of music styles, including country rock, folk rock, Latin rock, soft rock and jazz. He is also a skilled musician, playing the guitar, mandolin, dobro and bass, in addition to singing vocals.
The BPACC Facebook page includes a video clip with Messina telling the story of how he obtained his first Fender Stratocaster.
Tickets are on sale in person at BPACC (3663 Appling Road, Bartlett), over the phone at (901) 385-5588 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, or online at bpacc.org. For more information about the artist, visit his website at jimmessina.com.
