JOE COCO is a versatile performer with infectious energy. An American songwriter, singer and guitarist, he has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe since 1970. From New York City's Folk City, L.A.'s famous Troubadour, to Italian Blues Festivals and Switzerland's Atlantis Club, he creates poignant, often satirical images with a clear, strong, emotive voice. A prolific songwriter (575 songs and 35 albums since 1979), many of his songs reflect a strong social conscience. A native of Passaic, New Jersey, Joe has lived in Arizona for eleven years and in Italy for 6 years.
In 1998-99 Joe appeared as a principal soloist in the rock opera TOMMY by The Who. This Italian national production hit 22 cities in 98 performances, with a cast and crew of 40. He sang and played harmonica on "Eyesight To The Blind" while acting in 10 choral parts. Directed by Massimo Piparro, Planet Musical distinguished itself by presenting the first rock-opera in Italy, Jesus Christ Superstar.
In 2007 Coco released GARDEN STATE. The album is about his love hate relationship with New Jersey, a tribute to Joe's native state, receiving excellent reviews in Italy and Stateside. SEPTEMBER SKY, songs about autumn, will be released in the Fall.
2003 through 2008 have been benchmark years for Joe as he opened for BIG BILL MORGANFIELD -Muddy Waters son-, headlined monthly gigs at the famous Raubsville Inn -New Orleans On The Delaware- in Pennsylvania, while his 31st CD SCARLET ROAD (songs in response to the Iraq war), was in national rotation on over 250 radio stations, released just after the election in 2004. It charted to #1 at KTOO in Juneau, Alaska. 2000 through 2003 saw Joe headline monthly at the infamous Greenwich Village club The Back Fence. In Italian festivals he opened for KEB' MO' and BIG TIME SARAH. His song "Born With The Blues" appeared on King Biscuit Time's 2001 CD LOW FIDELITY, which won Italian Blues album of the year (Buscadero-National Rock Magazine, Italia). From 1992 through 1996, Joe was a resident in Portugal and Sicily. During that time he headlined concerts while opening for FONTELLA BASS ("Rescue Me"), MARIO VENUTI, GIANNI GHEBBIA and WILLIE MURPHY. During 13 summer tours in Italy, Joe has shared bills with Italian blues luminaries FABIO TREVES (Father of the Blues in Italy), NICK BECATINNI, HERBIE GOINS, and many others. Opening for Belgium's PERRY ROSE in Europe's largest club ATLANTIS, Basil, Switzerland led to a four-night engagement in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1996 with partner Michele Lotta (harmonica & guitar).
Coco's music combines personal narratives with a strong social conscience. He's developed a passionate blues drive with a country style guitar approach of tight rhythmic patterns while flat or finger picking melody and bass lines. Slide guitar is his trademark, with a rapid, razor sharp attack. Joe's soulful voice is compared to James Taylor's with a Sam & Dave edge.
Joe's first success came in 1978 while opening concerts for B.B.KING and COMMANDER CODY in Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona. This led to his first album NEVER SATISFIED which brought him to the attention of Charles Kopelman's Entertainment Company in New York where his songs were pitched to BARBARA STREISAND, JUDY COLLINS, LORETTA LYNN, and GLEN CAMPBELL. While recording with Warner Bros Music in New York City from 1980 through 1982, Joe toured the Northeast college concert circuit opening for JOHN HAMMOND and LEON REDBONE.
In the summer of 1996, while living in Sicily, Joe composed BLUES HOUSE - A Blues Opera. Among the first blues operas ever written, the 27 songs were recorded with MICHELE LOTTA and released in 1997. The double album is in the prestigious archive collections of THE ROCK 'N' ROLL HALL OF FAME, Cleveland; W.C. HANDY FOUNDATION, Memphis; FOLKLIFE CENTER of the SMITHSONIAN, Washington D.C; INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF BLUES FOUNDATION, Boston; SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY and BROADCAST MUSIC INC., Nashville.
Since 1995, Joe's fruitful collaborations with Michele Lotta have continued to flourish through 2006 with VIRGIN WOOD, INCANDESCENT, SYMBOLS OF POWER and SOUND OF THE SUN. While on tour in Italy with TOMMY, '98-99 Joe recorded THESE YEARS and SHE'S A MYSTERY, in theatre rehearsal studios and hotel rooms. WHERE THE RIVER MEETS THE SEA are songs about discovering Joe's Sicilian roots as a resident in Italy 1993-97. Among Coco's 35 albums, 1989's ARIZONA--THE BALLADS, also a double CD, featured songs about culture shock, and coming of age. They reflect his eleven years as a resident of the Southwest. In 1986 Joe collaborated with Luis Tomas of Arizona to produce the R&B, Jazz spiced instrumentals of SOLAR ECLIPSE AND A NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST, which saw the single "Pecho" air nationally on the video program VH1. Coco has released four other instrumental albums reflecting his melodic, atmospheric new age jazz, which accompany his painting and drawing exhibits: THE FULL MOON SERIES -2007-; IF WALLS COULD SPEAK -1994-; SOUND IMAGE/FALLS RIVER -1986- (with Polar Levine); and FOLIAGE -1982-.
Having composed over 600songs since 1970, and a career 38 albums, Joe is a rare musician who has combined his music with stellar accomplishments in the visual arts. With a Master of Fine Arts degree from Rutgers University in 1986, he has had 53 solo exhibitions, including three International shows of his series IF WALLS COULD SPEAK (created in Portugal & Sicily, between 1992-97). With over 425 works in over 250 public and private collections, Joe's work is represented in MOMA, San Francisco, GALLERIA NAZIONALE DE CONTEMPORANEO, Rome, GULBENKIAN MUSEUM, Lisbon and the INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, Boston. Joe Coco's capabilities are the wealth of an inspired talent.


 

OPENING CONCERTS FOR HEADLINERS

KEB' MO' - Alcamo Blues Festival July 2001 w/ King Biscuit Time Band

CHICAGO's BIG TIME SARAH - Capo d' Orlando Blues Festival August 2001

JOE JENKINS - Eco Jazz & Blues Festival Reggio Calabria, Italy w/Michele Lotta August 1998

FONTELLA BASS - Brass Group Concert Series Messina, Sicily w/M. Lotta December 1995

PERRY ROSE - Atlantis Club Basil, Switzerland November 1995

MARIO VENUTI &  GIANNI GEBBIA - Milazzo Jazz Festival Sicily August  1993

COMMANDER CODY - Dooley's Tempe, AZ w/Alex Weiss November 1978

B.B. KING - Sunken Ship Flagstaff, AZ w/Alex Weiss March 1978
 

SELECTED CONCERTS & FESTIVALS IN EUROPE

SOLO & with MICHELE LOTTA

MONTE DI PIETA' - Messina, July 2002
 
ESTATE MESSINESE - S.Maria Alemanna Church - Messina, August 2001

WOMEN’S DAY - Gazzi Jail - Messina, Sicily March ‘99

ECO JAZZ - Reggio Calabria August '98

REGIONAL TOURS SICILY - Sicily, July/August 1997 & ‘98

WINTER BLUES FESTIVAL - Alcamo, Sicily December ’96

CAPO D'ORLANDO BLUES FEST. - Capo D’Orlando, Sicily August ’96

VOX VOCI - Asti (Torino), Italy November ’96

CLUB CANTU' 132 - Cantù (Como), Italy  October ’96

LA TRACE - Lousanne, Switzerland October ’96

ATLANTIS CLUB - Basel, Switzerland March’96 & November ’95

ITALIAN TOUR - Headlining  for the Brass Group : PALERMO, TRAPANI

VITTORIA, CATANIA, MILAZZO, MESSINA, ROMA Summer/Fall 1993

NATO BASES  -  Concerts in: LA MADDELENA (Sardegna); BAGNOLI (Napoli)
SIGONELLA 1994 & 95; AVIANO, VICENZA, GHEDDI 1996.

SELECTED FEATURED CONCERTS SOLO

BACK FENCE - New York, NY  monthly dates 2001 to the present 

ROOTS HOUSE - Boston, MA June 2003  House Concert

RAUBSVILLE INN - Easton, PA Sept. 2003

 CAFÉ PARADISO – Eugene, Oregon Aug. ‘99

SIERRA NEVADA COLLEGE - Oct. 2001;  Oct.-Dec. 1997 – Feb ‘98

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH - Sausalito, CA July ‘97

KELLY'S VILLAGE WEST - Greenwich Village NY,NY April ’88 Aug. ’87

FOLK CITY - NY, NY Aug. 1972, ‘74, ’76

Coco / Weiss Reunion Tours

SICILIAN TOUR - July/August ’94 - 22 Dates in Sicily

Headlining the Capo d’Orlando Blues Festival

WYO THEATRE - Sheridan, WY June ’91

 

"Tommy" by The Who – Italian Company Planet Musical/Teatro Munizione July 1998/March 1999 Principle Soloist – singer/harmonica singing "Eyesight To The Blind" including 10 acting/choral parts. 98 performances in 22 cities.

BACK LINE BIO OF SELECTED COLLEGE CONCERTS

1990-89 LP TOUR - AZ-THE BALLADS Phoenix and Northern Arizona

 1986 LP TOUR - SOLAR ECLIPSE AND A NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST LP/Video Promo

* VHI-U68-TV National Syndication - Sept.86 Rotation Title:PECHO

College Concerts 1983 (Spring 28 Shows - Autumn 6 Shows) Mid-Atlantic States

 Opening For: JAMES COTTON - SUNY Albany LEON REDBONE – P.Smith College,NY

College Concerts 1982 (Spring 23 Shows - Autumn 15 Shows) Tri-State Area

Opening For: JOHN HAMMOND - Glassborro, NJ THE ROCHES - SVA, NY, NY

1980 Album Tour NEVER SATISFIED: Troubador Los Angeles,CA August