When Jo Ann Castle sits down at the piano Saturday,
syncopated ragtime and the tinkling sounds of honky-tonk will vibrate
Central Avenue. Known for her piano artistry _ from boogie-woogie to
classical _ the world-class star of the Lawrence Welk Show will visit the
Spa City to be inducted into Arkansas Walk of Fame, Hot Springs' newest
attraction.
A vivacious and popular celebrity, Castle will perform a
couple of songs at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bath House Show, 701 Central
Ave., before the plaque unveiling and autograph party at 1 p.m. across the
street. The event is free and everyone is welcome. "Jo Ann said she
is extremely excited and honored," said Tom Wilkins, one of Arkansas
Walk of Fame's founders and key organizers. "She's looking forward to
getting back to Hot Springs and seeing her friends."
Castle will
attend festivities with her musical arranger and fiancé,' Lin Biviano, an
associate professor of music in Boston. Because Biviano wanted to teach
music, the two have shared a long-distance romance for three years.
"He is my honey, and in May '98, we will have been together 10
years," Castle told The Sentinel-Record Tuesday from Branson, Mo.
"He played lead trumpet with Buddy Rich, and he played the Lawrence
Welk show here (in Branson.)" Biviano is busy writing new
arrangements for Castle to kick off the 1998 season at the Lawrence Welk
Show where she headlines with the Lennon Sisters. As winter chills the
Ozarks, the performing season winds down and Castle will close her house
in Branson, work in February and March to polish her upcoming show and
visit her children in California, she said.
Her son Bill Roeschlein, 28,
a certified public accountant, wants to attend Duke University next year
and work on his MBA. Her daughter, Joanie Roeschlein, 27, is a paralegal
and she attends law school in Los Angeles. The two celebrate birthdays
exactly one year apart, on April 24. "I was glad we left California
and went to Arkansas in the mid '80s," Castle said. "The kids
were caught up in `la-la' land. We met so many nice people in Hot Springs,
and I did a lot of charity work with Senator Pryor and Governor Clinton to
help the city, county and state. The kids both played basketball at Lake
Hamilton Junior High."
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Castle's strong personality has served her
well through a challenging personal life. Her first daughter, born with
cerebral palsy, died at age 15. Castle's personal triumph and resilience
have made her dreams of stardom a reality. Born at Bakersfield, Calif.,
she started singing and dancing lessons at age 3, played piano at age 7
and taught piano by age 12, according to her biography. She studied
classical music and taught herself the art of "ragtime piano."
At 12, she began playing the accordion and to date has released a total
of 16 piano and accordion albums. As a young child, her goal was to be
on television, and her parents helped her realize that dream by moving the
family to Los Angeles so that she would be closer to more performing
opportunities. When she was 14, the family voted on her stage name.
Born Jo Ann Zering, her name became `Castle' in part because of Castle
Accordions. She earned her national reputation on The Lawrence Welk
Show. Welk hired her as a regular for 
his program in September, 1959, her
20th birthday. "I wanted to be on the show since the day I met him
when I was 12," Castle said. "We kept in contact. My parents
wrote him letters and we showed up at picnics and I would take out my
accordion. I finally went on the show as a guest. Then six months later, I
went on again as a guest. He called me back but didn't keep me. Six months
later, he hired me on my 20th birthday and brought in a cake and a
honky-tonk piano. It was wonderful on the air."
Castle said she had
a good relationship with Welk, although he was tough to work for. "I
think he was destined to do what he did and he gave performers many
breaks." He didn't respect those who worked only to "get
by." "He wanted 200 percent and I was always in there giving my
200 percent," she said. Her career blossomed on his show, and after
she taped the programs, she would frequently fly overnight to her next
scheduled performance in cities across the country. She departed the
show in 1970 to devote more time to her children.
Shortly before Welk
died, Castle said, "he hugged me and told me he loved me with tears
in his eyes. I had never seen that kind of emotion from him." In
1993, Lawrence Welk Jr. called her to invite her to join the new show in
Branson, Mo. She moved from Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, Calif., to
her new home in Branson. She appears from April through December in the
2,300-seat theater. Her act features her piano artistry, singing and
comedy. "I have a torn tendon, from one of my comedy numbers, and
I'll be hobbling Saturday," she said, "but on stage I don't
notice it." The mark of a true performer.