“Sing us a song, you’re the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feelin’ alright.” – Billy Joel

  *  *  *  *  *  *  

Over the past two seasons the Dodgers have had a total of 26 pitchers, 19 outfielders, 11 infielders and four catchers on their 40-man roster at one time or another. During that same period of time they have had exactly one organist. In fact, over the last 75 years, the Dodgers have had only seven organists.

Seven.

For those who attended only one or two games at Dodger Stadium over those last two seasons, it was little more than background music, no pun intended. But for those who attended many or perhaps even most of the games at baseball’s third oldest (and most beautiful) ballpark over those two seasons, it was as much a part of the game as a Clayton Kershaw curveball or a spectacular Yasiel Puig diving catch.

It is, of course, hearing Dieter Ruehle on the Dodger Stadium organ.

Although not an organ per se, Dieter Ruehle’s Dodger Stadium keyboard allows him to play the popular ballpark classics, as well as a huge ensemble of contemporary songs before, during and after games at Dodger Stadium.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Ruehle, who was born in Van Nuys, California and grew up in nearby Burbank a short 10 minutes from Dodger Stadium, just completed his second season as the Dodgers full-time organist. The soft-spoken artist, who celebrated his 49th birthday this past Saturday, took over the keys from longtime and (very) beloved organist Nancy Bea Hefley, who had graced the ears of Dodger fans for an unprecedented 28 seasons – longer than any of her five predecessors dating back to the 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers.

“Nancy had a lot of fans, and people are still really connected to her,” Ruehle recently told LA Times writer Randy Lewis. “A short while after she retired, [the Dodgers] asked me if I’d be interested in replacing her, and of course I was interested. I knew they’d be very big shoes to fill, but I figured I just have to be me, and do what I do”

It is always a treat when Nancy Bea drops by the Dodger Stadium press box to visit with her many old friends, including Dieter Ruehle, of course. (Photo courtesy of @DieterRuehle)

All Ruehle does – and has done since he was 15 years old – is play the organ for various Southern California sports teams including the LA Clippers, the former LA Lazers indoor soccer team, and most notably the LA Kings. He also had brief stints with the LA Lakers and several other professional sports teams.

“When I got into it, there wasn’t a lot of structure at all, especially at the Forum in my early years with the Kings,” Ruehle recalls. “There was really no – what we now call – ‘game entertainment.’ It was just the public address announcer and the organ. There was no video board, no dancers, no people throwing out T-shirts to the crowd, just the organ and the game announcer.

“It’s evolved now to where we have a producer, we wear these headsets, every inning break and every time out is scripted to where we have a promotional giveaway, a dance cam, a kiss cam, stuff like that,” he added.

Despite his balancing act between the Kings, Dodgers and Clippers, Ruehle always has time for a quick photo with fans. He is seen here with Mari Monteil, a longtime Dodgers and Kings season ticket holder.
(Photo courtesy of @Queen_Mari7)

The history of Dodgers organists is most certainly a storied one. Surprisingly, however, it is not a very long one in terms of actual organists. In fact, according to Dodgers historian Mark Langill, there have been only six Dodgers organists to have preceded Dieter Ruehle since 1942. Of those six, only Gladys Goodding played at Ebbets Field, the longtime home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. It has been said that Goodding was the first ever organist in the (now) 148-year history of Major League Baseball.

Gladys Goodding is said to be the first organist in MLB history. She was so well loved by Brooklyn Dodger fans that they often kidded that she was “the only Dodger who played every game without an error.”
(AP Photo)

But when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 season, Goodding did not. In fact, there was no Dodgers organist at all during their first four seasons in LA which, of course, coincides with the four years that they played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum while their new home in Chavez Ravine was being built.

However, on April 10, 1962 at the first game ever to be played at brand new Dodger Stadium, fans were treated to organ music at the hands of Bob Mitchell, who served as the Dodgers organist from 1962 through 1966. This, of course, included the Dodgers World Series championship years in 1963 and 1965.

In 1966, Don Beamsley replaced Mitchell at the Dodger Stadium keyboard, where he remained until 1972.

It is here that perhaps the most interesting of the Dodgers (now) seven organists took to the keys – a 15-year-old sophomore from nearby Baldwin Park High School named Donna Parker.

“In Dodger history, there are pockets of people known for one moment, and Donna Parker is one of them,’’ Langill told LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke, during a recent interview. “She is like Dick Nen, Steve Finley, Charlie Culberson. If you blink, you missed it.’’

Parker was the shortest tenured Dodgers organist, having played for only four months during the summer of 1972. She did, however, manage to draw enormous praise from a man who was a then spry 45 years old.

“Young lady, I’m going to tell you something. Nobody has ever made me stop when I’m announcing,” said Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully to young Miss Parker. “That is the most fantastic music I ever heard.”

Even though Parker played the organ at Dodger Stadium for only four months during the 1972 season, she went on to enjoy a very successful career as a concert organist. But even to this day, the one thing she hears most about her lengthy résumé is: “You really played for the Dodgers?” (Photo credit – Kristina Wentz-Graff)

After Parker’s brief time as the Dodgers organist, she was replaced by perhaps the most famous Dodger Stadium organist – “Helen Dell on the Dodger Stadium Conn organ,” as longtime Dodgers PA announcer John Ramsey would often say. Dell was at the ivories during the magical 1981 season when the Dodgers beat the highly-favored New York Yankees in the World Series in six games. Ironically, Helen Dell also has something that no other Dodgers organist has – a plaque at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

It’s probably safe to say that very few Dodger fans are aware that Helen Dell actually has a plaque in Cooperstown. (Photo courtesy of alwaysbeencrazy)

They say timing is everything and such was the case for Nancy Bea Hefley, who replaced Helen Dell in 1988 after Dell’s marvelous 16-year career. As such, Nancy Bea was at the keyboard when Kirk Gibson hit what was arguably the greatest home run in Dodgers history to win game-1 of the 1988 World Series against the (yet again) highly-favored Oakland A’s. Hefley would remain at the Dodger Stadium organ for the next 28 years to become the longest-tenured Dodgers organist in franchise history and quite possibly MLB history.

Nancy Bea and Bill Hefley have been together for over 60 years and where you find one, you will always find the other nearby. (Photo credit – Adam Rose)

What many Dodger fans may not know is that Nancy Bea and Bill Hefley, who have been together for a remarkable 60 years, live in Silver Springs, Nevada, a small town located 35 miles northeast of Carson City and 450 miles away from Dodger Stadium. The couple would routinely commuted to Dodger Stadium for the Dodgers homestands during the latter part of Nancy Bea’s historic career as the Dodgers organist.

Current Dodgers organist Dieter Ruehle is extremely mindful and respectful of his predecessors. In fact, he keep a list of them next to his Dodger Stadium keyboard at all times. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Which brings us back to Dieter Ruehle, who came up one win shy joining Gladys Goodding, Bob Mitchell, Helen Dell and Nancy Bea to become what would have been the fifth Dodgers organist to be at the keys during a World Series championship.

“Playoffs trump the regular season,” Ruehle said, when asked how he would shuffle his busy schedule around to avoid conflicts with his other gigs during the postseason.

But hey … “Wait till next year!”