Joe Burns is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He grew up listening to WMMS, 100.7 FM and playing a 1979 Morris cherry sunburst (note background picture) and hoping to be a musician.
Joe was going to go to California after high school to be a rock star, but his Mom stopped all that by bribing him with a '79 Chevy Camaro, white with powder blue interior. He went to college.
After almost failing his first semester as a business major, he discovered radio and they made a place on the Dean's List for him. For his entire Junior and Senior year, he ran the school's station, did a nightime gig at a second radio station and a weekend gig at a third. Sleep was not an option.
Joe figured, if he couldn't play the music himself, he'd play it on the radio.
Twelve years, seven stations and five states later, Joe was completely burned out. At his last station, Joe began taking Master's classes and slowly picked up the degree. When he couldn't get a job at a university, he quit radio alrogether and went after his Ph.D.
Email: joe@rockandrollloser.com
After a teaching position in Pennsylvania, Joe ended up at Southeastern Louisiana University, just outside of New Orleans, where he
currently resides. To hear him tell it, this is where he'll stay unless they fire him first.
After some pretty awful bands, Theory, Rick and the Rockets, Debit Card, just to name a few, Joe's now playing with some fellow professors in a
prety damn good little five-piece named
Impaired Faculties and
writing his own stuff.
You can grab his first album "Rock and Roll Loser" right now. It's free.
Joe's working with audio wizard Dave Pericone who's helped him put together his home studio so look for a second album in the
not so distant future. It has a bunch of working titles but the favorite right now is: "One Hell of a Story."
Also make sure to check out Joe's weekly Radio show, Rock School. It's syndicated in 15 markets, podcasted and you can now listen to well over 400
episodes. And...it's free.