Joe, a native of Bemidji, Minnesota (“First City on the Mississippi”), has earned degrees in music from the Manhattan School of Music (DMA vocal accompanying), the Cleveland Institute of Music (BM, MM) and the University of Minnesota (MM, DMA organ performance). He spent the last six years as assistant professor at Grambling State University where he taught piano and music theory. He is a twenty year veteran of the U. S. Army, and has served as a piano player in six different army bands. He is a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Romania 1998-2000), and currently serves as organist/choirmaster at St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church in Keller, TX.