Joseph Lucian Messina (December 13, 1928 – April 4, 2022) was an American guitarist. Dubbed the “whitebrother with soul“, he was one of the most prolific guitarists in Motown Records‘ in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers. Messina was born in Detroit on December 13, 1928. He started playing the guitar when he was thirteen, after his father purchased one for him. Messina initially attended Central High School in his hometown, before studying music at Cass Technical High School. He eventually dropped out to focus on becoming a professional musician