Funk Brothers guitarist on Motown hits
Joe Messina, a guitarist with the Motown session band known as the Funk Brothers whose largely anonymous work graced hit records such as Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life” and the Four Tops’ “Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” died Monday at his son’s home in Northville, Mich. He was 93.
A family friend, Steve Shepard, confirmed his death, from complications from kidney disease.
Mr. Messina was a mainstay of Detroit’s vibrant jazz scene for years before joining Motown’s studio band in 1959. Along with about a dozen other musicians, including bassist James Jamerson, pianist Earl Van Dyke, and drummers Benny Benjamin and Richard “Pistol” Allen, Mr. Messina helped form the core of a versatile group that quickly learned and recorded new songs for Motown’s young hitmakers.
Label owner Berry Gordy patterned Motown on automobile production lines, with round-the-clock sessions. The company’s early recordings were often completed in one or two takes. Even as Motown songs rose to the top of the charts, Mr. Messina and his colleagues went uncredited on the early albums and initially received no royalties for their contributions.
Mr. Messina was known for his almost subliminal backbeat rhythms, chord accents that followed the snare drum, and tambourine on the second and fourth beats of a bar. At times, all three guitarists played the accents in unison.
On some songs, including 1967′s “Your Precious Love” by Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Mr. Messina doubled Jamerson’s bass line. On the Supremes’ 1970 hit “Someday We’ll Be Together,” Mr. Messina’s insistent guitar riff can be heard beneath orchestral strings, adding heightened tension to Diana Ross’s vocals.
Joseph Lucian Messina was born Dec. 13, 1928, in Detroit. His father, an autoworker, played guitar as a hobby and bought his son a guitar when he was 13.
Mr. Messina studied at Cass Tech, a high school known for its music program, before dropping out to work as a guitarist in Detroit’s jazz clubs. He led his own groups and performed with numerous visiting musicians. He joined the staff of WXYZ, a local ABC television affiliate, and played in the band on comedian Soupy Sales’s nightly TV show, backing up major jazz stars, including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
After seeing Mr. Messina perform at a jazz club, Mr. Gordy asked whether he would record for his Motown label. Mr. Messina was one of the few white musicians in the Funk Brothers, whose lineup often changed.
When Motown moved its operations to Los Angeles in 1972, Mr. Messina stayed in Detroit. He stopped performing and opened a carwash and jewelry business before returning to music 30 years later. He continued to lead jazz jam sessions at his home until shortly before his death.
The Funk Brothers were all but unknown to record buyers but emerged from anonymity in director Paul Justman’s 2002 documentary film, “Standing in the Shadows of Motown.”
The Funk Brothers received two Grammys in 2003 for the film soundtrack and their remake of Gaye’s “What’s Going On” with singer Chaka Khan. They received a Grammy for lifetime achievement in 2004 and were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museumin 2007. Percussionist Jack Ashford is the last living member of the original 13 musicians.
Mr. Messina’s wife, Josie, died in 2009. Survivors include two children; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.