He was son of Pierre Chabanceau de La Barre (1592–1656) organist of the chapelle royale at Notre-Dame, sieur of La Barre, and younger brother of Charles-Henry Chabanceau de La Barre (1625-?), player of the spinet to the queen, and Anne Chabanceau de La Barre (1628–1688), a noted soprano.
Nothing is known about his early life; the first record of La Grotte's life is from 1557, when he was employed as a keyboard player (organ and spinet) to the King of Navarre, Antoine de Bourbon, at Pau in southwestern France.