Playing the piano seems to be Nancy Driscoll’s and Lynne Miley’s forte. You may have seen the duo gracefully pressing keys at the Whistle Stop Gourmet Coffee and Eatery, in Historic Downtown Plant City.
The restaurant has had a 10-year history of having live musicians during its lunch hours.
“We run our business on the contention that it’s more than food,” co-owner Jerry Lofstrom said. “The music creates an aura, an eclectic feel to the restaurant that is important.”
It’s that old-fashioned aura that Driscoll and Miley capture so well.
They were inspired by the original Whistle Stop pianist, Mary Beagle. Beagle’s performance career began at age 15, when she played for the New Orleans Recreation Department. From there, she got a full music scholarship to Loyola University. Until she was 78, she worked two jobs, secretary by day and pianist by night. Her last gig was at the restaurant.
Miley first took noticed of Beagle when she played “Lara’s Theme” from Doctor Zhivago. The song is one of Miley’s all-time favorites.
When Beagle died from cancer, the music stopped.
But not for long.
“I wondered if I could do it,” Miley said. “I hadn’t played in years. But, I pulled out music from when I was a kid. I basically had to start from scratch.”
Miley practiced for four months, playing at the Community Care Center.
“It was my warm-up for the big time,” Miley said, jokingly.
Then, she got the courage up to ask co-owner Marti Lofstrom if she could play in Beagle’s place. When the restaurant opened after its summer break in 2011, Miley became its newest pianist.
Like Miley, Driscoll had little musical training. Her grandmother and mother had played the piano. Her grandmother taught her to play by ear.
Driscoll saw Miley playing one afternoon when she stopped in for lunch, with her brother and a friend, Becky Burns. Burns knew Miley and introduced them.
“Something struck me,” Driscoll said. “I had always wanted to play piano outside the house.”
Driscoll asked Miley if she needed a substitute to fill in. It was a fortunate coincidence: Miley was going on vacation the following week.
So, in March 2012, Driscoll began playing on Wednesdays on two Saturdays, while Miley took Tuesdays, Thursdays and the other two Saturdays.
Patrons Bob Bushey and Frank Kitzmiller ducked into the Whistle Stop on a raining afternoon last week for a bite to eat. It was Bushey’s first time at the restaurant.
“I absolutely love the music,” Bob Bushey said. “I’m from the old school. I love instruments more than vocals. It probably comes from my light musical background.”
Miley said the feedback she receives from customers inspires her to continue playing.
“It makes you feel like you’re getting a blessing,” Miley said. “They can hear us, and we get blessed back when they come up to us and say they love the music.”
Miley’s favorite songs to play include Lara’s Theme, while Driscoll likes Neil Diamond’s “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.”
“We hope that we can initiate young people’s appreciation of the music of many years ago,” Driscoll said. “The lyrics of love songs we play are like poetry to music.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.