Born in Staten Island, Joe began playing drums in the music program at Public School 41. At age 10, he marched and played drums with the Staten Island Community Band and was selected to be a member of the Staten Island District Orchestra. By age 11, Joe was studying privately with Henry Okstel, who currently teaches at North Texas State University. Recognizing his talent, District Music Superintendent Louis DeTaranto created a Big Band that featured Joe playing Gene Krupa arrangements. At 13 he led a Benny Goodman style trio that played for grown-up events, while at the same time playing music of his generation at sock hops and rock ‘n' roll shows. DeTaranto would later recommend Joey to the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. In 1963 at 17 he led a jazz group called The Quintet who played in the hard-bop style of Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers and Horace Silver.
After his graduation in 1964, Joe’s professional career took off with the recording of The Strangeloves "I Want Candy" and The McCoys "Hang on Sloopy," both #1 records. Additionally, while nurturing his first love, jazz, Joe played in a variety of rock bands including Circus Maximus, Euphoria Five and The Eric Mercury Band, managed respectively by Celestial Artists, Brian Epstein and the Robert Stigwood Agency.
Settling in Minneapolis in 1969, Joe was a session drummer at Sound 80 Studios’ for engineer Tom Jung and played at the Guthrie Theater with Music Director Herb Philhofer.
While in Minneapolis, Joe also produced world-class jazz events, presenting extraordinary artists, such as The Bill Evans Trio, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Tony Williams Lifetime, Gary Burton, and The Jimmy Smith Trio, while playing drums in the bands of Bobby Lyle, Irv Williams, Manfredo Fest, and Roberta Davis.
