Standing In The Shadows of Motown

The Funk Brothers

FUNK BROTHER JOE MESSINA Excerpt of an Article by Bruce Miller - October 20, 2002 Bruce Miller - a respected musician in California plays and arranges music for TV shows like Becker, Everybody Loves Raymond, Wings, Frasier, among many others, comments on the Funk Brothers. Joe Messina in Studio A at Hitsville USA [. . . as a very involved "observer" of the "Funks", a bit of my own observations. Each of these terrific players put their own strong stamp on the "Motown Sound", but each had very different abilities. Dennis was a terrific studio guy and artist and has the distinction of being Messina's "other" student, other than yours truly! (or maybe I was the "other" one) . . . well . . . During my days of conducting for a very talented artist of the day, Paul Anka, I was able to actually include some "Funks" in the road group . . .] [ . . .Eddie Willis, Earl Van Dyke and Robert White Earl, of course, was in a class by himself, but since he wasn't a guitarist, we'll save him for another time. Robert was a "time-locking" dream. Not a huge amount of chops, but it just doesn't matter. He had talent and a fabulous time feel. That alone would make him a star in my eyes. Eddie Willis was a true funk-master. His most important strength to me was, among other things, those incredible ("dee-bone" as Joe used to call it) real life licks and earthy feel. What a joy to have seen him and heard him last month in LA. Very classy guy, and born with that "only Eddie Willis sound like that" feel. Lastly, Joe Messina, who had more raw chops than anyone I've ever known, and I've known many. Joe was in a class by himself, and it wasn't just the fast fingers. He knew his music inside and out. Completely self - schooled to a level that I've known many conservatory - trained colleagues fall short of. Every so often one of these freaks shows up, and for me that was Joe Messina. Always modest and kind, I feel that I know his playing as well as anyone (including Josie), but again I digress. I've played, arranged and conducted with what many feel are the most skillful musicians in the world, here in LA.. Joe would have been a leader out here. The only reason I'm going on about this is that, to set the record straight, each of the "Funks" guitar players deserved their place in that elite group, but I have to say, and I think the other guys would agree, between his extrordinary sight-reading, amazing ears, chops and most important, musicality, if we're talking about world-class ability, Joe was in a class by himself. Also, for whatever it's worth, I can for - sure say that at my own peak as a guitarist, he kicked my XXX, and for that there is NO ARGUMENT!!!!!!! I love all of you "Funk Guitar Players". Bruce 1st Movie Screening Ever to see it at the Library of Congress 12/01

Joe Messina Barnes & Noble Ed Hogan Guitarist Joe Messina was one of the Funk Brothers as Motown's studio band of the '60s and '70s. Anchored by innovative bassist James Jamerson, keyboardist Earl Van Dyke, and drummer Benny Benjamin, the group also included guitarists Robert White and Eddie Willis, and later "replacement" drummers Uriel Jones and Richard "Pistol" Allen. The band, along with Motown's talented crew of songwriters, singers, arrangers, producers, and engineers, all under the tutelage of Berry Gordy, helped to shape "The Sound of Young America" (the label's '60s/early-'70s slogan). One of the most prolific soul/pop rhythm sections ever, the Funk Brothers recorded pop music history in the small basement of a Detroit house that was converted to local TV and radio work. Coming to what would become Motown in 1960, Messina had the highly sought after skill of being a good sight reader and played fluent guitar lines. He was often used when an arranger wanted someone to double Jamerson's bass lines, as on Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Your Precious Love" (number two R&B for five weeks, number five pop in fall 1967). The guitarist was also proficient on keeping the backbeat, a key ingredient of the Motown sound that was later used in reggae music ("chunk... chunk"). For example, listen to the Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (number one R&B for eight weeks in spring 1966). Messina created his guitar parts while bouncing ideas off of White and Willis when producers would ask the band to add the right groove to a song. Often recording with all the singers, and on some sessions members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the band and everyone has to be tight because everything was recorded live in one take; one mistake and the recording tape would have to be rewound and everyone would have to start all over again. Motown didn't begin overdubbing (having the ability to replace an individually recorded musical part) until the mid-'60s. This led to Messina et al. becoming a tight rhythm section. A few years after Motown moved its base from Detroit to Los Angeles, Joe Messina retired from the music business and opened up a couple of businesses. He's featured on the CD portion of the classic book/CD set of Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson" by Allan "Dr. Licks" Slutsky from Milwaukee, WI.

Joe Messina One of Motown’s famous “Funk Brothers”, Joe played guitar for Berry Gordy’s Hitsville U.S.A. Studio for fourteen years, helping to create an unbelieveable string of hit records for the Motown label. He played in the studio band for ABC Television in Detroit for twenty-three years, accompanying guests that included Sonny Stitt, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Jack Teagarden, Lee Konitz, Jimmy Giuffrey, Pepper Adams, Donald Byrd, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Frank Rossolino and Dizzy Gillespie, among others. Joe started playing guitar at the age of thirteen, taking two lessons from an accordion player who told him, “Learn all your scales!” Joe did just that and went on to become the outrageous player he is today. In 1980 he began playing chromatic harmonica, and in 1993, recorded an album of jazz standards and originals entitled “Messina Madness.” You can read more about Joe and the other legendary “Funk Brothers” of Motown in the December ‘88 issue of “Guitar Player” magazine and in the May ‘93 issue of “Keyboard Player”, “The Historic Motown Sessions.” He is also profiled in the book “Standing In The Shadows Of Motown”, the story of legendary bassist James Jamerson by Dr Licks, from Hal Leonard Publishing. This book is another step in the evolution of a truly ground-breaking musician who, when asked to sum up his incredible career says: “I’ve been fortunate enough to learn something from every musician I’ve worked with.” Joe Messina currently plays jazz in Detroit, and is one of the happiest guys you’ll ever meet.

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