While touring in 1983, Cantafio learned that he was going to be a father. On December 12^th his daughter Kimberly was born. Joe immediately stopped touring so he could be home with his family.  

Joe asked his older brother Frank for assistance and became a bond-broker on LaSalle Street in Chicago. Joe kept singing commercials and would perform occasionally on weeknights at local venues and only perform occasionally out of town on weekends.

In 1986 his daughter Laura was born and in 1988 his third daughter, Jennifer came into the world.

The days of sitting around the house practicing his guitar changed. Joe was on a train at 7:00 AM, five days a week, wearing either a blue or gray pin-stripped suit. He now enjoyed playing with his children after a day at the office and even became the “car pool” Dad. Instead of writing new songs and singing classic rock tunes on his guitar on weekends, he now played “Old McDonald” and “Their Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly,” and loved it.

While performing at a summer festival in 1988, two Vietnam Veterans approached Joe. Robert Kolling, a vet who served with the 1^st Calvary Division of the US Army, asked Cantafio for his help.

Two weeks later, Joe attended a meeting of the DuPage County, Illinois Chapter of Viet Now; a “Veterans helping Veterans” organization. Joe was asked to help bring some light onto their organization. Joe talked with hundreds of Vets and family members of lost veterans or wounded veterans that night. He realized for the first time in his life that America had a huge problem.

That same night after viewing Oliver Stone’s Platoon, Joe wrote the song “They’re All Not On The Wall.” The song depicts life in America for Vietnam Veterans and family members of those veterans after the war. The song was inspired by the first-hand accounts of the personal and mental struggles he heard about that night. It was written about real people suffering real pain and still fighting a private war in their hearts.

The haunting song was recorded but up until now, was never released and only used during live performances. People who heard it were moved to tears, and for the first time, Joe Cantafio became a critically acclaimed songwriter.

People would pack into his shows to hear the song. His new band, “Joe Cantafio and the Giant Killers” would play their hearts out at every performance. His shows helped raise funds for war memorials that needed to be built, so we would never forget the plight of the Vietnam Veteran. He also organized a few Chicago physicians, and those doctors donated free operations for some of the Vets that needed surgery but could not afford it.

Seventeen years after the song was written (February 2005), Joe re-recorded “They’re All Not On The Wall.” The song will be a part of Frog & Scorpion Records (Sony Distribution) newest release “One Nation Under God Vol. 2 –Never Forget.” The CD is a compilation of many nationally known artists and their songs about America. The CD is scheduled to be released in March 2005.

In 1989 Cantafio was hired to sing the part of the male lead on an album/music track, for a new play called, “The American Dream … Interrupted” written by Jackie Marx. It's the story of three young children growing up together in the 1960’s, and ending up in Vietnam. Cantafio sang some duets with Marx shining on “When I touch The Wall” and “Back Yard Warriors.” Joe’s performance on “After The Firefight” brings chills to the listeners. The play has since been renamed “Rocket City.”

After a killer tornado devastated the city of Plainfield, Illinois in the summer of 1990, Cantafio helped organize a concert and telethon for the some of the victim’s families and survivors. The Marshall Tucker band, who had performed in the area weeks before with Cantafio, called and offered their service at no charge.

Lead singer, Doug Gray called Cantafio and said; “We will come back and perform for free if you can find us a place to play.”  Mayor Roger Clair offered his town of Bolingbrook, Illinois as a venue. Bolingbrook is located just a few miles from Plainfield so the location made perfect sense.

Cantafio’s group “The Giant Killers” performed with Ronnie Rice and the New Colony Six, Big John Howell and the Born to Boogie Band, and The Marshall Tucker Band. Joe said, “The idea was all The Marshall Tucker Bands’, we all just wanted to help out any way we could.”

Cantafio and his production company partners provided the stage, sound and lighting for the event and well as organizing the stage crew and all personal arrangements for the entertainers.

Joe and his family lived in Bolingbrook a few years before the tornado hit so he had some ties to the community.

“From what I understood, the concert and the telethon raised over $100,000.00. Some of those funds were given to people who lost homes and apartments. The money gave them down payments and security deposits for new living space.” Cantafio said.

Two years after the birth of their fourth daughter Danielle, Joe and his wife separated and then divorced. Joe said, “The best thing to come out of my 17-year marriage were my four beautiful (inside and out) daughters.”

In 1992, Cantafio used his showmanship background and volunteered to represent his investment company on television. After a few weeks, Joe was offered his own slot on a Chicago investment program called  “Ask An Expert.” It was a thirty-minute weekly question and answer format where viewers called the program with investment questions. The host of the program would then ask Joe his opinion.  Joe was also asked to give a five-minute, noon stock-market report from the floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange every Wednesday. 

In 2000, Joe was asked to be the host of “One Financial Center,” a program where Joe would interview interesting investors or market leaders, such as Mary Ellen Withrow, the Treasurer of the United States of America. The show was designed to help viewers learn about different investment choices, and new ideas.

After being entrenched in the investment business and being out of the music business for a few years, Cantafio reunited with some of his Jade band mates and gave it one more shot. They performed in clubs and at outdoor festivals playing for fun and recapturing some of their “glory days.”