Joe Smooth was a self-taught musician, and started creating original music at the age of 12. In his teenage years, he began to make a name for himself as a DJ in the underground Chicago house music scene. Joe Smooth gained international acclaim with the release of his late 80s deep house classics "Promised Land" and "I Try", among others. His most popular song, "Promised Land", spoke of how humans as brothers and sisters will all make it to the "promised land".