Jo Ann Castle

Although Jo Ann Castle began singing at the age of three, her rise to prominence occurred during the 1960s through her role as a piano player on The Lawrence Welk Show. Appearances on the radio and television programs of both Tex Williams and Spade Cooley had already showcased her piano skills and country singing by the time she reached thirteen. She later became part of Lawrence Welk’s variety show, yet stepped away in 1969 to focus on raising her children. The 1980s brought a return to recording after the jazz label Rainwood offered her a contract. Several collections of ragtime favorites followed, in which she blended standards with her own original material. Castle also continues to present a show at the Welk Champagne Theater in Branson, MO.