Joe C. was first featured on the demo "Cool Daddy Cool" in 1995.
Calleja first met fellow Michigan musician Kid Rock at a concert by the latter in Roseville, Michigan in 1994. In a backstage interview conducted by disc jockey Julie Slater of New York FM radio station K-Rock (WXRK) on July 24, 1999, after Kid Rock's performance at Woodstock 99, the Artist said Calleja "used to come to all my shows, he would be standing on tables in the front row singing the lyrics."
In November 1999, Calleja had to leave the tour with Kid Rock, only appearing in a few programs from this issue. On November 16, 2000, one week after his 26th birthday, Calleja died in his sleep from celiac disease complications at his parents' home in his hometown of Taylor, Michigan. A solo album was lined up before his death. Kid Rock's 2001 album Cocky was dedicated to Calleja.
