As a recording artist, Becker has set a precedent to which countless young musicians have aspired. Beginning in 1980, he started learning guitar.  By the age of 7, he was playing guitar live on Chicago's 97.9 WLUP FM ( The Loop ) at the request of Jonathon Brandmeier.  His playing was so regarded he came back to play bed music for the show when it returned to Chicago in 2014 on WGN 87.7 FM.

He continued on with radio starting in 1998, recording stingers, bed music and ID's for Oldies 104.3 FM, WJKL 94.3 FM The Chicago Blues Explosion - broadcasted live from the Kingston Mines and The Radio Shopping show on 1410 AM.

Becker had his first commercial release in 2002 on the Lion Music progressive metal label for his Neo-Classical Speed Metal track, "Warmth In The Wilderness" which was the title track for Jason Becker's second benefit album.  He then released a guitar instructional CD on the Chops From Hell label and was staff on Jason Becker's, "Blackberry Jams" album in 2003.  During this time, Joe did guitar clinics with friends Jason Becker and George Bellas and found himself recording with several other technical players in the scene.  His buddy Todd Duane then thanked him in the liner notes of his new album, "Electrocution 250 - Electric Cartoon Music From Hell" in 2004 and then guested on, "Season In Hell", to be released on the upcoming Short Stories album.

He later released his breakthrough album Short Stories in 2005, songs from which appeared at NAMM in Morley Pedals 2006 sampler CD as well as in the American Cancer Society's benefit CD for E'nuff Z'nuff's drummer Ricky Parent and Guitar World Magazine's March 2007's companion CD also featuring Edward Van Halen, Buckethead and playing with Jason Becker.  
He was also featured in Morley Pedals catalogs from 2007 to 2009.  

2008 brought about, "A Night At The White Room", an A/B side recorded with his uncle Joe Kelley - lead guitarist for the Shadows Of Knight, famous for their song 'Gloria' and also his first foray in to film with one of his songs used in, "Evil Awakening".  In 2009, his follow-up album Hot As Love was warmly received by critics and the title track was featured in Guitar Wizards Volumes 3/4 while his songs, "Martin's Old Uke" and "Sunday Afternoon" from Short Stories were simultaneously featured in the film "Rise Of The Scarecrows" which has since been dubbed "one of the best, worst movies of all time".

In 2012 Joe was thanked by his friend Jason in the film, "Jason Becker - Not Dead Yet".  Joe was then featured in the book, "Guitar Men" by Bob Moritt in 2014 while "Rise Of the Scarecrows" was also being re-released through Cinema Epoch on the, "Scared Stiff Collection" DVD.

2016 saw Joe's re-emergence after a break in the music world, this time almost exclusively in film with appearances on Troma Film's Memento Mortis, The Passage, Cell Block Z, Cannibal Claus and Cellar Secret. 

2017 saw Becker not just as an instrumentalist, but also as a vocalist and film composer.  Becker's involvement with several horror movie soundtracks have done nothing but stoke the fire for his newest album in almost a decade, "MONSTER".

In a career marked by artistic triumphs, from blues, to rock, to metal and to classical, to film making and beyond, the past few years for Becker have been especially notable for Joe.  And you still have it coming.

Becker has been featured in Guitar World Magazine, Guitar Player Magazine, Guitar One Magazine, Vintage Guitar Magazine and Indonesia's Gitar Plus Magazine.
He has been honored with endorsements from GHS Strings, Morley Pedals, Analysis Plus cables and others.

Raised in Chicago Illinois, he lives in the northwest suburbs.

Summer 2021