Jo Ann Castle doesn’t tickle the ivories, she hammers them—as if she is building the piano instead of playing it. Jo Ann began her career in Bakersfield, California, where she began singing, dancing and performing within the local Bakersfield community at the age of 3. By the age of 7 she was studying classical music and at the age of 10 moved to Ventura, California with her family and started picking out tunes on the accordion.

In August of 1959, she was signed as a “regular” on the popular Lawrence Welk television show, replacing the show’s Big Tiny Little. Castle went on the become one of the Show’s most popular entertainers, earning the titles of “Ragtime Piano Gal” and “Queen of the Honky-Tonk Piano” for her rollicking renditions of the genre’s classic tunes and her own compositions. Since 1994, she has headlined at the Lawrence Welk Champagne Theater in Branson, MO with the talented and beautiful Lennon Sisters. Most recently, Jo Ann hosted the “Legendary Liberace” TV Special on PBS. She also continues to host PBS Specials and perform live across the Country.