Months after high school graduation in Detroit at the age of seventeen, with his offbeat sense of humor, Joey found himself working as a stand-up comedian at the World Famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood with the likes of Richard Pryor and Robin Williams. A year later, he was mentored by the late legendary voice-over actor Daws Butler - better known as the voices of Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound. Mr. Butler helped Joey develop his remarkable talent for characterizations.
A longtime voice-over actor, Joey has worked on numerous projects: from being the voice of a Smurf, to the voice of McGruff the Crime Dog, to voicing multiple projects for animation maverick, Ralph Bakshi, to voicing popular video games such as Skylanders, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Mafia II and many others. As well as voicing spots for 100s of TV and radio commercials.
As a stand-up comic, he headlined at top comedy clubs across the country and in Las Vegas, and was the opening act for The Pointer Sisters, Richard Pryor, the late Marvin Gaye, and many others.
In Addition, he is the author of two non-fiction books. The 2013 pet memoir, My Life with Snoopy: How One Shelter Dog's Love Changed a Man's Life and Other Tails of Adventure, which tells the story of his 13 year relationship with his Burbank Shelter dog, and his 2017 autobiography, Laughing Through the Pain: Stories from the Trenches of Hollywood Standup Comedy and Beyond. It details Joey's life growing up as a white Jewish kid in black neighborhoods in Detroit then making his way into the world of Hollywood show business, and beyond.
His film-making credits include the comedy short, Bernie - a love story about a man and his mattress in which he wore several hats: Writer-Director-Producer and Actor. The short gained critical acclaim winning the Bronze Award at the Houston International Film Festival. He has also directed various YouTube videos for his comedy channel.
Arriving in Hollywood at the age of 17 from Detroit and after being onstage only four times in his life, he was asked to be a regular performer at the World Famous Comedy Store, making him one of the youngest professional stand-up comics ever.
Was the designated voice of McGruff the Crime Dog for video and DVDs show in public schools throughout the United States.