Joy was born in Montreal, Quebec, and moved around a lot, living in the Maritimes, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, and Syracuse.  In 1985 she decided she didn't like moving and hasn't moved since.

Joy grew up listening to her dad's jazz albums - all the big drummers like Buddy Rich and Stan Kenton, and her favourite, Joe Morello.  Found bands like the Moody Blues, the Strawbs, early Genesis, some Quebec stuff like Harmonium, Black Sabbath, Cat Stevens, the Stones, Simon and Garfunkle, and Springsteen.

Joy first played the drums in Grade 8.  The music teacher didn't think girls should be on the kit, and she got stuck on the glockenspiel.  So, she bought her own kit, practised all the music in secret at home. Then, just like in the movies, the night of the first big concert the boy on the kit broke his arm and she got to step up and play!  She had a two bar solo, and still remembers her grandmother leaping to her feet in the audience yelling "that's my granddaughter". She was hooked - there's nothing like being on stage! 

She loves hearing melody lines on the kit and lyric driven music, so will listen to anything that catches her attention, whether it's singer-songwriter types like Nanci Griffith or Patty Griffin, folky guys like Dick Gaughan (most romantic song ever), or R&B, blues, classical, Indian, South African (check out Vusi Mahlashela), Indigo Girls, and Melissa Etheridge.

Joy's favourite food is Indian and favourite colour is Tabby. Other than playing with the Girlz, of course, Joy loves to cook, bake birthday cakes for friends, walk her awesome cats Sophie and Nathan, and read (her second home is the library). Her favourite day would be spent running trails at the cottage, then going for a swim, and ending everything with a huge meal with all her friends around the picnic table and the gas lamps lit as the sun goes down over the lake . . .