Shel Silverstein called Jo Mapes “The best of the female folksingers”. She should have been a star, but for a number of reasons, fame eluded her and after a grueling six years on the road, she retired to raise her children. She didn’t leave however, without having a profound influence on the Folk music community and the fans that never forgot her. Jo played all of the best clubs , concert halls and venues, recording five albums for Kapp records, and her last, on F.M. She continued to play the Chicago club circuit through the 1970s.