Joseph Chouinard was born in Middletown, Connecticut. His birth certificate lists his middle name as Gerard and his date of birth as May 4th, 1926. However, later documentation shows his date of birth to be May 7th, 1926 and his middle name to be Jerod. It is unclear why this discrepancy exists, though it should be noted. He graduated from Middletown High School in 1944. Following graduation Joseph enlisted in the United States Navy. He served in the Navy from 1944-1946, during which time he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After he was discharged he attended the University of Connecticut, graduating with a BA in Music in 1950. He stayed at the university and in 1952, obtained his Master of Arts and Music Degree. Later, he obtained his MLS in Music Librarianship from State University of New York College at Geneseo in 1970. In addition to his degrees, Joseph studied with Nadia Boulanger at Fontainebleau in 1957 and 1958. He also attended the 1961 Session of the Summer School for Singers in Oxford, England.

Throughout his life, Joseph performed both nationally and internationally as a bass baritone. He performed both as a chorus member and as a soloist, including performances at the Tanglewood Festival, Calvary Church in New York City, the Tri-Cities Opera Company in Binghamton, the Aspen Music Festival, the Florida International Music Festival, Columbia University, Arundel Opera (Maine), Theatre Under the Stars in Atlanta, Georgia, and with the University Opera Studio at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

His music librarianship career included positions as Music and Art Librarian, California State College at San Bernardino (1971-1974), Music Cataloger, State University of New York at Buffalo (1974-1978), Music Librarian, State University of New York College at Fredonia (1978-1991), and Exchange Music Librarian at Royal Holloway College, Great Britain (1983-1984). After retiring, Joseph Chouinard remained active as a volunteer at the State University of New York at Buffalo Music Library and at the Buffalo Veterans Administration Hospital where he led patients in various arts activities such as readings of plays and poetry. He died in Buffalo on January 6th, 2014.