The middle child of Wayne and Lynne DeGraw, he grew up in the Catskills, in South Fallsburg, New York, along with his sister, Neeka and brother, Gavin, who is also a singer-songwriter.

Inspired by the likes of Chris Whitley, Queen, Tom Petty and The Beatles, DeGraw continued his passion for music throughout his schooling, having written over 50 songs by the age of 18.

Chris Whitley noted, "What makes Joey such a deep writer and overwhelming talent, besides his god given gifts, is that ... it is all about music as an art form.

"[citation needed] Gavin DeGraw has also highlighted the part his brother played in his success, advising him to write his own songs & upon hearing his later debut single, "I Don't Want to Be" stating "That's your hit!

[8] DeGraw has written with some of the industry's top selling artists[8] including Joss Stone, who flew him down to Barbados to write songs for her, one of which was the track 'Another Mistake.

'[9] December 2007 saw DeGraw and his brother, Gavin open The National Underground, a New York City venue, offering live music, food and drink.