A.k.a. Joseph Marcus Fischer
Born Joseph Marcus Fischer in Los Angeles to professional musicians, Joe took childhood lessons on piano and violin, but it was not until the early 1950s that he discovered the bass and became Joe Carroll. He played San Francisco clubs with small jazz ensembles and became friends with George Rhodes and Charlie Mingus. Later, in Las Vegas, Joe played electric bass and keyboards, learned sitar to perform with the cast of Hair, made his own instruments and organized groups with experimental instrumentation. Back in the Bay Area, he produced the Rowan Brothers recordings, organized an all-bass ensemble, toured with Red Norvo, and was the first bass player in the David Grisman Quintet. Joe died at the age of 47 in San Francisco, December 18, 1983.