Joe Puerta

Joe Puerta Jr. (born July 2, 1951) is the bassist/vocalist and founder of the American rock group Ambrosia. He co-wrote one of the band's early hits, "Holdin' On To Yesterday".

Early life Puerta was born in California to a family of Spanish background. His father, Joe Puerta Sr., was born in Spain and was a wrestler while at the University of Illinois in the early 1930s. He was mentioned in the New York Times when he was nineteen years old in 1933.

He started playing the bass as a teenager and played in local bands. When he was fifteen years old, he was in a high school band called The Centuries, and put an ad up for a new guitar, which is how he met David Pack. While the band was still in its early years, Joe was a touring member (bass/vocals) of the bands for Chi Coltrane and Laura Branigan. Most of Ambrosia's hit singles were written solely by Pack, however their first hit song and first single released, "Holdin' on to Yesterday", was co-written by Puerta with Pack in 1975.

Puerta worked with Sheena Easton during the 1980s when Ambrosia were on hiatus.

Ambrosia reformed in 1989, but Puerta was unsure if he could rejoin due to his schedule with The Range. Shem von Schroeck was hired as a multi-instrumental member of the band but fortunately Joe's schedule opened and he eventually came back to the band.