Johnny Costa
Johnny Costa (born John Costanza; January 18, 1922 – October 11, 1996) was an American jazz pianist. Given the title "The White Art Tatum" by fellow jazz pianist Art Tatum, Costa is best known for his work as musical director of the children's television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Arnold (city of Pennsylvania), Died October 11, 1996 (Pittsburgh (city and county seat in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1948 - 1958
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 36 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exclusive | EXC-1107 | 10-in. | 12/31/1948 | Lovesick | Les Robinson ; Ray Thompson | songwriter | ||
| Decca | 88399 | 7/18/1955 | Hallelujah | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 88400 | 7/18/1955 | Autumn in New York | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 88401 | 7/18/1955 | Lover | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 88402 | 7/18/1955 | Stella by starlight | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 88403 | 7/18/1955 | A foggy day | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 88404 | 7/18/1955 | Misty | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 88405 | 7/18/1955 | After you've gone | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 88406 | 7/18/1955 | Love for sale | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 88407 | 7/18/1955 | Holiday in strings | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 88408 | 7/18/1955 | Tenderly | Johnny Costa Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100986 | 11/14/1956 | Coquette | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100987 | 11/14/1956 | Cherokee | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100988 | 11/14/1956 | From this moment on ; Who cares | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100989 | 11/14/1956 | Whispering | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100990 | 11/14/1956 | I'll be around | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100991 | 11/14/1956 | Everything I've got | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100992 | 11/14/1956 | Willow weep for me | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100993 | 11/14/1956 | It's all right with me | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100994 | 11/14/1956 | The boy next door | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100995 | 11/15/1956 | The most beautiful girl in the world | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100996 | 11/15/1956 | Night and day | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100997 | 11/15/1956 | This can't be love | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100998 | 11/15/1956 | I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 100999 | 11/15/1956 | By a waterfall | Johnny Costa | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Costa, Johnny," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/309944.
Costa, Johnny. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/309944.
"Costa, Johnny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Costa, Johnny, 1922-1996 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no96013850
Wikidata: Johnny Costa - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q6266515
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/208149196258274790542
MusicBrainz: Johnny Costa - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9ea6bf2b-69fd-47c8-ad26-79e79bac1d80
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1526493 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1526493
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