Jo Ann Castle
Jo Ann Castle (née Zering; September 3, 1939 – May 8, 2026) was an American honky-tonk pianist who appeared on The Lawrence Welk Show. She adopted her stage name from the name of an accordion manufacturer, another instrument she played. She was often referred to as "Queen of the Honky-Tonk Piano" by Lawrence Welk.
Jo Ann Castle
ABC Television · eBay item photo front photo back · Public domain
- Name
- Jo Ann Castle
- Birth Name
- Jo Ann Zering
- Born
- 3 September 1939
- Birthplace
- Bakersfield, California, U.S.
- Died
- 8 May 2026
- Occupation
- Pianist
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- honky-tonk · boogie-woogie · ragtime
- Education
- Hollywood Professional School
- Languages
- English
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q6204113 · wikipedia · Jo Ann Castle
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The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jo Ann Castle • Birth Name — Jo Ann Zering • Born — 3 September 1939 • Birthplace — Bakersfield, California, U.S. • Died — 8 May 2026 • Genre — * Honky-tonk • Boogie-woogie • Ragtime • Occupation — Pianist • Instrument — * Piano • Accordion
Documentary record
Jo Ann Castle was a jazz musician and pianist, born on 3 September 1939 in Bakersfield, California. and died on 8 May 2026. Both events are recorded by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Life and career
Life and career
Jo Ann was born to William George Zering (1904–1987), a railroad brakeman for the Santa Fe Railroad, and Dorothy Leona Easterly (1918–1996), a Harvey Girl, who worked as a hostess at the Bakersfield Harvey House restaurant. Castle started her career in Bakersfield, California. When she was 3 years old, she began singing, dancing and performing within her local community. 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, who was a trumpet player from Boston. Castle died on May 8, 2026, at the age of 86, as announced by several of her Welk co-stars. She had been suffering from chronic pain for several years prior to her death.
Discography
List of albums, with Australian chart positions • Title — Album details — Peak chart positions • AUS • The Best Little Honky Tonk in Town — * Released: September 1983 * Format: LP * Label: J&B (JB 149) — 30
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Jo Ann Castle, revision 1365770322 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Newcombe, Bob. Vivacious Pianist Talks As Nimbly As She Plays. Eugene Register-Guard. Mar 7, 1963.
- 2.Bush, John. Jo Anne Castle. AllMusic.
- 3.Honky-tonk pianists Castle to entertain in Smyrna April 19. The News Journal.
- 4.Bebco, Joe. Jo Ann Castle (September 3, 1939 – May 8, 2026). The Syncopated Times. 31 May 2026.
- 5.Statement from the Lennon Sisters on the death of Jo Ann Castle, Facebook.com, retrieved May 8, 2026
- 6.Statement from Ralna English on the death of Jo Ann Castle, Facebook.com, retrieved May 8, 2026
- 7.Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. 58. 1993. 0-646-11917-6.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 29 August 2026.
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