Joe Metzka

“Joe knows and respect the legends- far beyond his years. Yet he is a fearless musician who is unafraid to do things his way.”

-Jon Norton

Music director, WGLT radio

Joe was born and raised in Chillicothe, Illinois- a small town in the rural midwest- where he was exposed to blues and jazz by listening to records and reading. Joe learned from older musicians how to play and sing blues, jazz, funk, modern rock and even Western swing and country.

Joe went on to study jazz at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he also played football and managed to be recognized as a small school All-American for 3 seasons. (He even played 2 seasons of indoor football.)

Joe has played on nearly every kind of recording session and he has played as a sideman in every conceivable genre of music. While Joe does still take sideman work, he now functions mostly with his own 2 groups:

“Joe Metzka and Friends” performs blues and r&b classics, standards and originals. They feature tunes in the style of B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and all of the rhythm and blues legends. They play with anywhere from 4 to 7 musicians, depending on venue.

“Joe Metzka Trio” performs classic standards in the tradition of the Nat “King” Cole Trio, John Pizzarelli, Diana Krall, et al. They often add drums and winds in larger venues and settings.

Joe says, “I seem to operate in completely discrete music scenes with these 2 groups but I love all the music so I continue to stay active in both genres.

“Over the years, I’ve gotten to play with quite an eclectic group of musicians, including: Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Matt Wilson, Tim Hagans, The Ohio Players, Three Dog Night, the Shirelles and many others.”