Jo Ann Castle
![]() | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Jo Ann Castle | |
---|---|
Castle on the left with Lawrence Welk and Cissy King, 1969. | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Jo Ann Zering[1] |
Born | Bakersfield, California, United States | September 3, 1939
Genres | Honky-tonk, Boogie-woogie, Ragtime |
Occupation | Pianist |
Instrument(s) | Piano, Accordion |
Jo Ann Castle (born September 3, 1939) is an American honky-tonk pianist, best remembered for appearing on The Lawrence Welk Show.[2] She adopted her stage name from the name of an accordion manufacturer, another instrument she played proficiently. She was often referred to as "Queen of the Honky-Tonk Piano" by Lawrence Welk himself.
Originally introduced to Welk by Joe Feeney in 1959, Castle became a permanent member of the Welk Family, replacing the departing Big Tiny Little. Shortly after joining the Show, Castle married cameraman Dean Hall. They divorced in 1966 after having a daughter. Castle married again in 1968 and had a son and a daughter. Castle left the Welk Show in 1969 and divorced in 1971. Her third marriage, in 1978, ended in 1986.
In the 1990s, Castle performed at the Welk-owned Champagne Theater in Branson, Missouri, as well as making a guest appearance for a show with Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra on RFD TV.
On September 3, 2011, Castle married her fourth husband, Lin Biviano, a trumpet player from Boston.
References
- ^ Newcombe, Bob (Mar 7, 1963). "Vivacious Pianist Talks As Nimbly As She Plays". Eugene Register-Guard.
{{cite news}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) - ^ Bush, John. "Jo Anne Castle". Allmusic. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- 1939 births
- American pop pianists
- Living people
- Musicians from Bakersfield, California
- American accordionists
- American women pianists
- Lawrence Welk
- 20th-century American pianists
- 21st-century accordionists
- Women accordionists
- 20th-century American women musicians
- 21st-century American women musicians
- American pianist stubs