A native of Long Island, New York, Joe Krown began playing piano as a child, and in the 1980s toured with Chuck Berry and backed the Platters, the Marvelettes, and the Drifters. In 1991 Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown called, and Krown packed his bags for New Orleans. He toured with Gate until the bluesman's death in 2005 — opening for Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana and recording four albums with him.
Krown formed the Joe Krown Organ Combo in 1999 and the Joe Krown Trio in 2005, featuring legendary guitarist Walter “Wolfman” Washington and drummer Russell Batiste Jr.; the trio's long-running Sunday nights at the Maple Leaf Bar produced the live CD Live at the Maple Leaf (2008). His current trio-plus-one project features guitarist Papa Mali. He has recorded some fifteen albums of his own, most recently Qualified (2026), featuring Cyril Neville.
Since 1996 Krown has been a headline performer at WWOZ's annual Piano Night fundraiser during Jazz Fest, and he has produced the event since 2017. In June 2017 he joined the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band full time, touring the world with the multi-platinum, five-time-Grammy-nominated group while keeping up a busy solo and small-combo schedule at home.
