[3] Arroyo's first credited release as vocalist was in 1970 with Manuel Villanueva Y Su Orquesta on their LP Hasta La Madrugada....!.

Rubén Darío Salcedo, the leader of Los Diamantes, gave Arroyo the nickname El Joe.

[2] In 1971 Arroyo was invited to join Fruko y sus Tesos by Julio Ernesto Estrada, the bassist and director of the band.

[5] Arroyo became very successful by mixing salsa, cumbia, porro, soca, compas (or konpa), zouk and other music from the African Diaspora in a unique style.

[citation needed] Some of his most famous songs are "Rebelión", "La Noche", "Tania", "El Ausente" and "En Barranquilla Me Quedo".

[7] In September 1983 Arroyo was nearly killed by a thyroid problem,[6] and in 2000 a combination of diabetes and pneumonia brought him close to death while touring in Spain.

On 9 November 2011, Shakira was honored as Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and performed a cover of Arroyo's song "En Barranquilla Me Quedo" at the Mandalay Bay Events Center as a tribute to the singer.