Kenny Loggins - vocals, guitar, keyboards; Jim Messina - vocals, guitar; Larry Sims - bass; Al Garth - horns, violin; Jon Clarke - horns, flute; Merle Bregante - drums
1972 was a pivotal year for Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina. The duo had just released its second album together (and the first where they officially became known as Loggins & Messina), and had scored a massive hit with a novelty song, "Your Mama Don't Dance." The two talented musicians had done several key TV appearances, including Dick Clark's American Bandstand, NBC's Midnight Special, and Don Kirshner's In Concert, as well as a solid year of touring. All of these factors, plus the fact the duo simply had great songs, helped propel them into the Top 10.
There are only two songs in this brief nine minute set recorded on November 11, 1972, at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. The duo, and its band, work their way through a six minute version of "Vahevela" and a rockin' take on "Your Mama Don't Dance." There is just a taste of what Loggins & Messina could do with an enthusiastic audience, but it is enough to see why their fan base grew so quickly in the following few years.
Messina had been a member of both Buffalo Springfield (with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and Richie Furray) and Poco before becoming a record producer. Loggins had been a staff writer at Liberty Records in Los Angeles, and when he Messina met, the highly successful partnership began. The duo's first album, Sittin' In, was initially a Loggins solo effort produced by Messina, but Messina became an integral part of the album, co-writing 6 songs on the album. From that debut record, they scored two acoustic ballad hits with "Danny's Song" and "House at Pooh Corner." By the time the second album came out, the two had become a bona fide duo and, shortly thereafter, enjoyed their first Top 10 hit, with "Your Mama Don't Dance." A number of other hits followed over the next two and a half years, including "Angry Eyes," "Thinking Of You," and "Nobody But You."
The group hit platinum status and toured non-stop for almost four years. In 1976, the duo decided to call it quits and pursue separate solo careers. Loggins, being the better of the two vocalists, had no problem making the transition to solo superstar. He had a number top hits, the most popular being the title song to the MTV-inspired teen movie, Footloose.
Messina would release four solo albums, and although he made some solid records, they failed to have the same level of sales as those of Loggins & Messina or Loggins' solo hits. However, Messina did find success as a collaborator and producer, working with country superstars Brooks & Dunn, among others. Still, it would be as Loggins & Messina that both musicians found their greatest success. The two remained friends, and worked independently for nearly 30 years, until in 2005 they reunited for a successful reunion tour.