Born and raised in the onion fields of Tolleson, AZ (20 miles west of Phoenix) this third generation Mexican-American cut his teeth on R&B, Jazz, Fusion, Mexican Heritage and Latin pop of the late 60’s and 70’s. A few years removed from high school, Joey landed a major record deal with Island Records-Antilles New Direction (NY). The Album “On The Rocks” was a melting pot of Funk, R&B, and the fusion sounds of the mid-80’s. At the age of 23, Joey Navarro was in on the birth of contemporary jazz. Concurrently, Joey toured with recording artists as a keyboardist and musical director. After years of honing his skills on the road, Joey returned home to sabbatical with teacher “El Maestro” Ernesto Chavarria. While completing his 4-year tutelage under Chavarria, Joey found the road and stage calling him yet again.

In 2001, Joey relocated to Los Angeles to seek opportunities as a premier keyboardist and producer. Since then, his list of musical credits include working with Tierra, El Chicano, Andy Vargas, Benny Rietveld, Pete Escovedo & the E Family, Jeffrey Osborne, Tom Scott, Sister Sledge, Walfredo Reyes Junior, Abraham Laboriel Senior, Oskar Cartaya, Brandon Fields, Ersi Arvizu, Leland Sklar, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jim Keltner, Dawn Robinson (En Vogue), Jennifer Paige, DW3, Brian Bromberg, and a long list of others.

Joey got the opportunity of a lifetime to co-write the bulk of the tunes for Ersi Arvizu’s latest album entitled, “Friend for Life.” This is an autobiographical musical journey about her amazing life. It was produced by Ry Cooder (Buena Vista Social Club). The worldwide release date was May 9th, 2008.

In 2014, Joey joined forces with Grammy-winning producer Paul Brown and recorded Grover Washington’s “Strawberry Moon.” The track was released on Woodward Avenue Records, 9 Mile Road with Joey on piano, Paul Brown on guitar, The late Ricky Lawson on drums, Lenny Castro on percussion, and Roberto Vally on bass.

Joey also produced Smooth Ride recording artist, Kyle Wolverton’s CD entitled, “SOUL GROOVE.” This great CD features the talents of Abraham Laboriel Senior, Joey Heredia, Vail Johnson, and a host of other fine musicians. As of January 10th, 2010, the single, “Can’t Stop The Feeling” rose to #7 on Broadcast Architecture’s Smooth Jazz Top 20 list.

March 10th 2022, Joey was recognized for his musical achievements and received a proclamation by his home state of Arizona. Representative, Diego Espinoza presented the honor on The Arizona House Floor.

SIMILAR FACULTY