Born on July 2, 1949, in
Rochester, New York, Joe English was a member of the band Jam Factory, a group based in
Syracuse, that evolved into the Tall Dogs Orchestra of
Macon, Georgia. Searching for an opportunity to expand his talent, he answered an ad for a drummer in early 1975. The address led him to the basement of an old building where, much to his surprise, he found himself face to face with
Paul McCartney. The audition was for McCartney's
Wings, and English got the job. His first album with Wings was
Venus and Mars and, one album later, he would even take the lead vocals for the song, "
Must Do Something About It" from
Wings at the Speed of Sound. He accompanied Wings on tour and was the drummer on the
Wings Over the World tour. In November 1977, during the recording sessions for Wings'
London Town, English became homesick and returned to Macon, Georgia, where he began playing with
Chuck Leavell's band Sea Level. This ended his time with McCartney and Wings. Following his
Christian salvation experience, he formed the Joe English Band, performing as lead singer and drummer. The band toured the world, playing with other major
Christian bands of the era, including
Petra,
DeGarmo & Key,
Mylon LeFevre and
Servant. In 1983, The Joe English Band toured with Servant during the Great American Album Giveaway Tour. The band recorded a release without English's vocals called
AKA Forerunner. The band included
John Lawry, who left to play for Petra in 1984. In 1986, English played in former Petra vocalist
Greg X. Volz's band, Pieces of Eight. In the late 1980s, English joined
Randy Stonehill,
Phil Keaggy, Rick Cua and others as part of the
Compassion All Star Band. In 1988, the band recorded live
One by One, their only album together. English played the snare with his right hand and the hi-hat and ride cymbals with his left, a technique commonly termed "open handed". He has been unable to play drums professionally since the late 1990s, due to chronic problems with his ankles. In 1990, English joined the
Word of Faith Fellowship in
Rutherfordton, North Carolina. , he remains a member and is involved in music within the church. ==Discography==