Robinson was born in Temagog, New South Wales, Australia. He started playing piano at the age of six, only because he was told his fingers were too small to play the guitar. Aged ten, he quit and began to play the guitar. He outgrew his guitar teacher in less than 12 months, and he started to teach himself from the internet.

At the age of 11, Joe began touring with different Australian artists, including Tommy Emmanuel who became his mentor.

Winning the Australian National Songwriting Competition at age 13, it was clear to everybody around him that Joe was developing a unique gift.

In 2006 he recorded his debut album titled Birdseed, produced by Parris Macleod at Cloud Studios in Wyong, New South Wales.

At the age 17, Robinson won the Australia’s Got Talent grand finale on 1 July 2008, with a performance of “Classical Gas.”

In August 2008, Joe travelled to Nashville, TN and recorded his second album, Time Jumpin’, with producer Frank Rogers, which was released in 2009.

On 19 July 2009, Robinson was awarded the 2009 Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles and also won the instrumental category among seniors in the same competition as well as the male instrumental categories Contemporary,Jazz, Open and Original Works in the class of 16 to 24 year-old contestants.

In September 2009 he formed the Joe Robinson Electric Project with Sam Marks on drums and Chris Haigh on bass, embarking on an Australian national tour.[4] Joe was the opening act for Australian music icon John Farnham in a series of six consecutive shows at the Burswood Theatre in Perth in October 2009 as part of Farnham’s comeback tour.

After moving to Nashville, Tennessee, he was invited to perform at the prestigious Bonnaroo Music Festival in June 2010.

Joe Robinson was named “Best New Talent” in Guitar Player magazine 2010 Reader’s Poll. Lenny Breau and Tommy Emmanuel have inspired him to develop his own harmonic technique.