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& WKNO Radio Present JO ANN CASTLE & TOM NETHERTON February 15th
WKNO is proud to bring you the Stars of
the Lawrence Welk Show in concert starring Jo Ann Castle - back by popular
demand from last year - and Tom Netherton, appearing for the first time in a
WKNO concert, on Sunday, February 15, 2004, 2:00 p.m. at the Germantown
Performing Arts Center. Call the GPAC box office, (901) 757-7256, to purchase your tickets. Box office hours are 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets are $20.00 for WKNO Members and groups of 12 or more and $25.00 for non-members. There is a $3 handling fee per ticket. All seats are reserved. Sponsored by M.E.C.A. Memphis Eye and Cataract Associates, the H.W. Durham Foundation. Additional support from Easy 680 and The Best Times. Jo Ann Castle
"Jo Ann Castle doesn’t tickle the Ivories, she hammers them—as if she is building the piano instead of playing it." This recent observation by TV Guide helps to describe the timeless appeal of the bouncy blond who has been entertaining American audiences since her debut on The Lawrence Welk Show over 40 years ago.
Castle began her career in Bakersfield, California, where she began singing, dancing and performing at the age of three. By age seven, she was studying classical piano and, at age ten, moved with her family to Ventura and started playing the accordion. She turned professional at the tender age of 15 working for such band leaders as country and western’s Tex Williams, Ina Ray Hutton and her All-Girl Orchestra, "King of Western Swing" Spade Cooley and Spike Jones. By age 17, she had formed her own band and was appearing regularly at the Dunes and Fremont Hotels in Las Vegas where she recorded her first album entitled "Accordion in Hi-Fi" for Roulette Records.
When Welk heard the album, he immediately invited her to make the first of several guest appearances on his ABC-televised show—all before the age of 19! Two years later, Mr. Welk invited her back and, on her 20th birthday with millions of viewers watching, surprised her with an invitation to become a permanent member of his musical family. Castle went on to become one of its most popular entertainers until she left in 1970 to start a family.
Since 1994, she has been one of the stars at Lawrence Welk’s Champagne Theater in Branson and now travels nationwide with her dazzling one-woman show. Regarding her guest appearance at the Fabulous Follies, "It’s a thrill to be a part of such a wonderful show with such talented entertainers," states Castle.
With the veracity of Jerry Lee Lewis and the flamboyance of Liberace, Follies’ audiences will most assuredly be wowed with the comedy, sass, boundless energy and unique piano stylings of this dazzling entertainer. Tom Netherton is the perfect American Musical Hero, that unbeatable, unmistakable, "Rodgers and Hammerstein" combination of a glorious baritone voice, a handsome boyish face, and "good guy" charisma. It seems only natural that he has earned rave reviews as the star of both "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel," and it is also no surprise that he was discovered by Lawrence Welk, a man who seemed to have a special kind of radar for wholesome young talent. Tom joined the Welk Musical Family in late November and his first Welk television show appearance was on the 1973 annual Christmas Show. Today, Tom has his own show at the Country Inn in West Virginia.
Contact:
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