Jo Mapes
Jo Mapes (July 20, 1931[http://www.care2.com/c2c/people/profile.html?pid=828515240 Jo Mapes at Care2.com]. Retrieved 4 April 2014 - February 2, 2018) was an American folk singer, songwriter, critic and writer. She was prominent in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s and later became an advertising copywriter and nightclub critic for the Sun-Times in Chicago.
Life
She was born Joanne Claire Coombs in Chicago,{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/people/jo-mapes/biography/|title=Biography|website=TV.com|access-date=4 April 2014}} and moved to Los Angeles with her mother when in her teens.[https://books.google.com/books?id=BVqlULnfhy0C&dq=jo+mapes+folk+singer&pg=PA118 Ronald D. Cohen, Rainbow Quest: The Folk Music Revival and American Society, 1940-1970, Univ of Massachusetts Press, 2002, pp.77, 107] At Thomas Starr King Junior High School she was friendly with Odetta Felious, and developed a love of folk songs. In the early 1950s she began singing and playing guitar in folk clubs,{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} and in 1955 she appeared on the TV talent show Chance of a Lifetime.[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jo-mapes-mn0001299201/biography Biography by Bruce Eder at Allmusic.com]. Retrieved 4 April 2014 She moved to San Francisco in 1957, and later to New York City, and performed in clubs and concert venues around the country.
Mapes was described by Shel Silverstein as "the best female folk singer and guitar player around, with unique singing style and stage presence." She was featured in the pilot episode of the ABC TV series Hootenanny in 1962, and later appeared in several episodes of the show. She recorded albums for Kapp Records, including The Hootenanny Star (1962), as well as appearing on several Hootenanny compilations. She also wrote songs including "Come On In", recorded by The Association, The Monkees, and others; and "Come and Open Your Eyes", recorded by Spanky and Our Gang. In 1964 she released And You Were On My Mind on the short-lived FM label set up by Pete Kameron and Monte Kay, but the company went bankrupt before the album could be distributed.[http://www.bsnpubs.com/veejay/fm.html Mike Callahan, David Edwards, and Patrice Eyries, "FM Album Discography", Both Sides Now Publications]. Retrieved 4 April 2014
In 1964 she married banjoist Fleming Brown.[https://books.google.com/books?id=1Nn3QEQ_RqgC&dq=%22fleming+brown%22+mapes&pg=PA110 Izzy Young, The Conscience of the Folk Revival: The Writings of Israel "Izzy" Young, Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, p.110] She retired from performing after a farewell concert at Carnegie Hall, and settled in Chicago to raise a family. She taught at the Old Town School of Folk Music,[http://www.reverbnation.com/artist_652137/bio Profile at ReverbNation.com]. Retrieved 4 April 2014 and then worked as an award-winning copywriter, producer and jingle writer in the advertising industry, her clients including Kodak, United Airlines and Kellogg's; she provided the song for a Raisin Bran commercial.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaXowL7SWW8 Kellogg's Raisin Bran commercial]. Retrieved 4 April 2014 From 1968 to 1978 she worked as entertainment critic, columnist, and feature writer at the Chicago Sun-Times, and in 1986 she helped set up Artists In Evidence, a club associated with the Artists In Residence apartment building.[https://web.archive.org/web/20131222014917/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-06-13/entertainment/8602120330_1_performers-new-club-comics Rick Kogan, "Artistry Of Jo Mapes Is Evident Once More", Chicago Tribune, June 13, 1986]. Retrieved 4 April 2014 More recently she has occasionally performed at clubs in Chicago.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
References
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External links
- [http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94622&messages=4 Jo Mapes thread at Mudcat.org]
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