Jim Messina has been described as a musical genius, characterized by his over-five-decade mastery as a performer, songwriter, producer and audio engineer, with the seminal late ’60s group Buffalo Springfield, as co-founder of the influential country-rock band Poco and as one half of Loggins & Messina, one of the most successful duos of the 1970s, selling more than 16 million albums and created a string of memorable hits. 

Messina has composed many memorable songs from “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” “Angry Eyes” and “Nobody But You,” to “Listen to a Country Song,” “Watching the River Run,” “Be Free” and “Move On.”

On Saturday, March 14, at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Messina and his new band, The Road Runners, will play a mix of material from his past as well as his latest live album.

From his home in Franklin, Tennessee, Messina talked about his lengthy musical career that began when he was only a teenager.

You recorded your first album when you were only 15?

The summer before I started high school, I had put together a little band. I played all through high school, and by the time I was in tenth grade, I started making a record. By the 12th grade, a guy by the name of Glen Edwards, who was a DJ working for KZAY at the Disneyland Hotel, decided he wanted me to start making records. Before I graduated high school, I got the chance to go to Hollywood and start recording.

You had an unusual first encounter with David Crosby. 

I was working at Sunset Sound Recorders in ’67 as a recording engineer. I was asked to do a demo for voice and guitar for a female artist and it was booked by David Crosby. Next day Crosby comes in and he had a lamp that I had never seen before and he wanted me to plug it in. He said it was a lava lamp. He needed me to turn the lights down. The woman recorded about 10 to 12 songs. I was mesmerized and smitten by her singing. I loved the voice, and there were good images in the lyrics. When I finished the session, I asked, ‘Who should I put down as the artist?’ He said that Joni Mitchell was the artist. From that session, David went to Buffalo Springfield and said he’d worked with an engineer that they should check out, but prior to that, I didn’t know who he was and I certainly didn’t know who she was, but we eventually found all that out, didn’t we?

That eventually gets you in the band. 

They asked if I would consider producing the second album, Buffalo Springfield Again? Yea, I’ll take that opportunity because that’s what I wanted to do. Then the bass player Bruce Palmer gets busted, and I joined as their bassist and produced the third album. 

Unfortunately, that group wouldn’t last, but you become friends with Richie Furay and begin Poco.

By the time we got to the third album, I was producing the band and Neil (Young) was on his way out at that point. Stephen (Stills) wanted to work with (drummer) Buddy Miles and make his music. Riche didn’t have someone on his side. That was my job. I reached out to Leon Russell, who was a friend. He had some musicians from wherever he was living at the time. We thought that would be a good connection if we wanted to put together a band that was more country-rock than folk-rock.

You kind of did that again later with Kenny Loggins.  

Kenny came to me as a solo artist wanting to make his first record. He was more of a folk singer, “Danny’s Song,” “House of Pooh Corner.” To get him to stand up on stage with an electric guitar and deliver required creating a band, creating an environment, managers, see the potential. Getting on the road and making it work. I already had been with Springfield and Poco and I knew the ins and outs of what was necessary to get him going. I needed to decide, do I want to just do an album with him and then do something else. I knew to make that album successful I had to get him organized, give him direction. Teamwork. Introduce my Buffalo Springfield and my Poco audience to him.

We know that worked out pretty well. Did you get pushback when it ended?

By the time we had done five years together, from 1970, and our last tour was in 1976, some of that time we weren’t on the road. He really wanted to start working as a solo artist. To be honest with you, I was ready to stop. I’d gone through Springfield, Poco, Loggins & Messina. That’s ten years of this kind of stressful life. And it had taken its toll on me

Your father played guitar and had a band. Was he much of an influence? 

He had a little band with three pieces back in the ‘40s. They all had cowboy shirts on, played Western Swing, probably the stuff that Willie Nelson was into in those days.  They were never successful. They were just truck drivers and people who loved music and played their instruments on weekends to entertain friends and family. My mother bought me my first guitar for Christmas. My father loved Chet Atkins and Merle Travis. Mom loved Elvis and Gene Vincent. 

It’s rare to have success with three different groups.

I feel a lot of it was luck, but I also believe that luck is being prepared when opportunity knocks. In all those decisions I made, they were because I believed in the people that I was working with and I believed in the people who were behind me and knew I could trust.  

You’re touring because you want to work with musicians you enjoy. Does it get better than this?

I started out as a musician, and I chose to go behind the glass to learn how to produce and support the artist. I never got into this for the fame. I’ve continued to have a career, be mentioned as a producer, a performing artist, and work with other artists. I like anonymity. I’ve got great musicians with me. I’m playing well. Thank God my health is good. I wish I had that 50 years ago. No craziness. No drama. No alcoholism, no smoking. It doesn’t get any better than this.