Background
He was born into a well-known local family of stonemasons and lived in Copleys Street in Cork city centre.
He was born into a well-known local family of stonemasons and lived in Copleys Street in Cork city centre.
As a youth Joe joined the Cork Butter Exchange Brass Band and learned to play the French Horn but later became best known as a drummer. This was later to be shortened to The Dixies and in the 1960s became one of the best known showbands in Ireland. During the 1960s a number of other musicians joined the band and some left but the most significant was the arrival of vocalist Brendan O"Brien in the late 1960s.
In 1968 the band had their greatest success when their version of Leapy Lees "Little Arrows" shot to Number.1 in the Irish singles chart.
During the late 1970s the band broke up after lead singer Brendan O"Brien was electrocuted on stage and seriously injured due to a faulty microphone. Four months later Joe"s mother died and he went out of the music business for over a year.
However he returned and was instrumental in bringing the Dixies back together with a new line up in December 1982. He stayed with the band until 1990 before again embarking on a solo career.
To this day he continues to play on an almost nightly basis at venues around Cork city and county.
