Josh Roberts was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, a community about sixty miles east of Vancouver. As he was growing up, he was constantly exposed to music, participating in various community and church-based music programs. He took piano lessons for four years in elementary school, but at age eleven he discovered his real love: the guitar. Introduced to the instrument by a school teacher, he became fascinated by the guitar and began studying with local instructor, Jeff Bowman. In middle school he became involved in the school's band program, where he was a member of the concert, jazz, and marching bands under the direction of Bruno Gagnon. This led to experiences at the Chilliwack Jazz Festival and Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival (Moscow, ID). In high school Josh continued his musical studies. He participated in diverse groups such as the dixieland, concert, jazz, and R&B bands. In his senior year he was selected for the BC Music Educator's Association Honour Jazz Band and the Envision Jazz Festival Representative Band. He was also awarded the Chilliwack Secondary School Jazz Award. High school led Josh to take up jazz banjo. Initially self-taught, he has studied briefly with banjo players Borgy Borgerson and Eddie Erickson. In the tenth grade he joined a traditional jazz band called the 51st Eight. With this group, he has travelled to jazz festivals up and down the west coast. In 2002 and 2003 he was awarded scholarships to attend jazz camps at Stanford University and Sacramento, CA where he had the opportunity to study with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, Eddie Erickson, and Steve Homan, among others. Josh is now finishing his fourth year of jazz studies at Capilano College in North Vancouver, where he has studied with Bill Coon, Ihor Kukurudza, and Ron Samworth. He plays regularly with a number of groups in the Vancouver area, including the 51st Eight, Bria's Hot Five, and Simon Stribling's New Orleans Ale Stars.