. Born August 28,1946 in Chicago, IL,
absorbed a myriad of musical influences while growing up in his multi-cultural neighborhood. As a child, he would beat out rhythms on cereal boxes and garbage cans. Around age ten, his mother got him a drum set. While feasting on the city's rich musical diversity,
joined the drum and bugle corps of a community center, while also playing in vacant lots with his musician friends, guitarist Danny Reed and bassist
.
Meeting singer
Otis Leavill ("Let Her Love Me," "I Love You," "Love Uprising"),
Joseph and his friends were introduced to singer/songwriter
Billy Butler, who was the brother of singer
Jerry Butler. This meeting led to the band going on the road with
the Artistics, best known for their 1966 hit "I'm Gonna Miss You." Their reputation for being tight made the band very in-demand, and their playing schedule tripled as they backed various singers including
Barbara Acklin,
Jackie Wilson,
the Chi-Lites, and
Major Lance. When
Joseph and the band were introduced to Chicago Soul producer
Carl Davis, and after he had them watch how he records, they began playing on sessions for him, including
Gene Chandler's number two R&B hit, "Rainbow '65." After a time, Davis -- who had his own label, Dakar, and was the head of the Chicago branch of New York-based Brunswick Records -- began using
Joseph and crew more and more:
Tyrone Davis' "Can I Change My Mind" and "Turning Point,"
the Chi-Lites' "Have You Seen Her,"
the Lost Generation's "The Sly, Slick and the Wicked," and the soundtrack of the
Kirk Douglas movie, "A Lovely Way To Die."
A singer friend invited
Joseph to play on his session for
Kenny Gamble and
Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records. He began playing sides for the label, including
Teddy Pendergrass' "Close The Door,"
the Jones Girls' "You're Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else," and also with
the O'Jays,
Phyllis Hyman, and
Billy Paul. In the '90s,
Joseph began combined his formidable drumming skills with the emerging MIDI music technology while working on staff at Philadelphia International.
–
Ed Hogan, Rovi