Charlie Castner and Tom Harris have been called the “Boogie Woogie Boys” in years past, especially after Paramount Records issued a 10” LP of duets by Charlie and Tom in 1954 titled “Power House Piano”. This LP, #112, is a collector’s item now so, if you have one, hang onto it. Paramount #112 had 6 tracks, none of which ar~ duplicated here. All these Piano Joys tracks were recorded between 1949 and 1952 in Chicago (Universal Broadcast Studio), Milwaukee (Schaum Piano School) and Louisville (Gardencourt), which is how they met John Steiner, Paramount Records, who subsequently recorded their duet tracks on “Power House Piano”. The pictures in this booklet are from their Washington and Lee University days, various times, various places.
Piano Joys #PJOI2, “Boogie Woogie Boys Revisited”, consists of tracks rescued from old acetates (condition terrible to moderately bad) which Charlie and Tom had saved from their college days. Unfortunately, many of the acetates were not playable because of surface deterioration and, out of about 60 tracks, only 20 were useable. Years of storage in closets and basements had taken a toll on them.
Both “Boogie Woogie Boys” started playing piano in their mid-teens, influenced by Ammons, Johnson and Lewis, and had developed power and endurance the time they went off to college in the late 1940’s. Tom grew up in Chicago. Charlie grew up in Louisville. They met at Washington and Lee University, at a piano, of course, and became good friends right away. Soon, they had made a name for themselves as the campus boogie woogie duo. In high school,
Charlie had some basic music training and, in addition, had a “perfect pitch ear”, which led to an invitation to play piano in a Six-piece trad-jazz campus band, the W & L Stompers. This band played at frat parties, some off campus gigs, jam sessions at a local theater, a few road houses (out of town) and a Couple of girls colleges nearby; Hollins, near Roanoke, and Sweet Briar, near Lynchburg. Tom usually went along and the “Boogie Woogie Boys” were the intermission feature.
During high school in Chicago, Tom was urged to continue learning to play boogie woogie by a good friend, pianist and mentor, Buddy Charles who performed around that area for many years. Not having any musical raining, Tom learned to play piano by ear and “on-theob”. In college, Charlie encouraged Tom further and hey were musically Supportive of each other. Tom first net Albert Ammons in 1946 at Chicago’s Civic Opera House and this spurred him on to play like Albert.
Charlie became hooked on boogie woogie through the Columbia and Decca albums in about 1941. His first exposure to “live” boogie woogie was by the Simpson brothers of Lousiville, a couple of painters whom his dad had hired to paint the Castner home. Whenever an opportunity presented itself, painting stopped and there were impromptu sessions with the two brothers. Charlie stated that they played a rough, crude but exciting style. Acquiring some of the 1940’s Leeds boogie-blues folios helped Charlie to establish a solid pattern of playing.
In the fall of 1948, Charlie went to New York during mid-term break and managed to meet Meade Lux Lewis at a club. In March, 1949, Charlie went to Chicago with Tom during spring break. After some hesitancy and much discussion, they decided to phone Albert Ammons. After a few minutes they discovered how outgoing and friendly Albert was. They arranged to drive to the South Side, picked Albert up at his home and went to the North Side apartment of a friend of Tom’s. This friend’s parents were out for the evening and a lively party ensued. Charlie tells the story that, as Albert played, he stomped his foot rather vigorously. Having neighbors in the apartment underneath, a not-so-little little problem and the neighbors began pounding on their ceiling with a broom handle (or some such instrument). The dilemma was quickly solved by putting a pillow under Albert’s foot to soften the thump. In June, 1949, Tom and Charlie were back in Chicago and called Albert again. This time Albert took them to meet his good friends, Jimmy and Mama Yancey. The party lasted most of the night and, at one point, Charlie and Albert played a four-hand duet. Being full of vim, vigor, vitality and inspiration (from meeting real boogie pioneers), Tom and Charlie decided to record their musical efforts for posterity. Well, posterity is here. This CD contains what could be salvaged of those college days.
Recently, Document Records released a CD, #DOCD-1017, “Pete Johnson, The St. Louis Parties”, of live recordings made at a 1954 party in St. Louis, where Pete Johnson, Tom Harris and Charlie Castner were among the guests. Pete does most of the playing on the CD but, at one point, there is a duo-trio track where Pete, Tom and Charlie are all playing the one piano. The cover features a picture of Pete, along with smiling and happy Tom and Charlie.
After college Tom and Charlie went separate ways to make their own mark on the business world. Tom was employed by Allied Radio, Chicago, becoming a buyer for the firm and, after Allied Radio was purchased by Tandy-Radio Shack, he was transferred to Fort Worth in the very early 1970’s. He retired a few years ago.
Charlie served two years in the U. S. Marines after graduation from W & L. His military job as radar operator was the basis for the title of the track “Radar Romp”. Upon his discharge from the Marines, he went back to Louisville and was soon employed as Public Relations Manager for the L & N Railroad, now CSX. Charlie took early retirement a few years ago rather than relocate when CSX closed their Louisville office and moved it to Jacksonville, Florida.
Charlie and Tom have stayed in touch (and are musically active) over the years since their W & L days. In 1973, Charlie and Katie Castner started the annual Louisville piano parties, lasting until 1991. In Fort Worth, Tom and Lynn Harris, along with co-hosts Charlie and Pat Hager, of Dallas, began a series of annual piano parties in 1976 (still going on).
RECORDINGS