Dieter’s Creative Tunes

Since the Dodgers are up by 18 games in the division with 40 games to play, I figure it is safe to take a step away from the seriousness of the pennant chase and the Xs and Os of strategy to talk about a lighter topic.  I do that today with ballpark organists (the ones that play the musical instrument at the stadium).  The Dodgers have been at the forefront when it comes to music at the ballpark.  Whether it was the comical Sym-phoney Band or the most popular baseball organist in the 40s and 50s, they have been engaged in history from the outset of organ music at the ballpark.

About 100 years ago, organ music became a common entertainment source in shopping areas, restaurants, and movie theatres.  They accompanied motion pictures that had no sound. Naturally, the popularity and acceptance of the music expanded to professional sports, where hockey games were the first events in which they were used.  The first known use of organ music at a sporting event was at Chicago Stadium when it opened in 1929 with an arena in place.  Later such venues as Madison Square Garden and Boston Garden added organ music to their arenas.

The Hammond Organ company designed a specific electronic organ for sports venues in 1934, and it spread from there, but it wasn’t until 1941 that baseball debuted the organ at Chicago’s Wrigley Field with Ray Nelson at the keys. There were complications at the start, though, because with the game being broadcast on the air, the team had not received permission to perform a lot of popular songs from the era on the radio.  Organist Nelson almost literally had his hands tied. Surprisingly, what many thought was a baseball staple dating back to early years was actually a novelty for many teams.  The Cubs, for example, ditched the organ by 1944, and the original 1941 experiment only lasted two games.  They (the Cubs) didn’t have a full-time organist return until 1967.

Though the Cubs put the kibosh on the organ, Dodger executive Larry MacPhail loved the idea and immediately hired Gladys Gooding in 1942.  She was the organist at Madison Square Garden for the NHL Rangers.  She worked as the full-time Dodger organist at Ebbets Field from 1942 to the date of the Dodgers’ Brooklyn departure in 1957. Gooding was not just an organist.  She could sing and quite often would sing the national anthem when needed.  She was noted for using her keyboard talents to plunk out musical puns of pieces that commonly corresponded with the appearance of a player or activity on the field of play.

Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine speaks with warmth regarding Gooding and how she would serenade the Hoosier State native with “Back Home Again in Indiana” when warming up every first inning of games he started. 

In a game in 1950, when one of the umpires became sick and couldn’t take the field, Gooding played “Three Blind Mice.”  It is reported that the remaining umpires ejected her from the game.  The first organist ejection in the history of the sport.

Gladys closed out the last game at Ebbets Field to a tearful crowd with “Auld Lang Sang.” Vin Scully stated that he was a witness to the final game and that throughout it, Gooding played funeral dirges.  The New York Times reported that the tunes she played that final game included “Thanks for the Memories,” “Am I Blue,” “Don’t Ask Me Why I’m Leaving,” and “Que Sera, Sera.”

When the Dodgers arrived in Los Angeles in 1958, four seasons in the Coliseum were played without an organist accompaniment.  It only was when they arrived at their new digs at Dodger Stadium that the organ was introduced to Dodger fans in Los Angeles.  (Previous PCL teams, the LA Angels, and Hollywood Stars had entertained fans with organ music).

The first L.A. Dodger organist was Bob Mitchell.  Mitchell was a silent film organist and a natural for the position, but since talkies had not been in vogue since 1929, he certainly wasn’t long for the position due to his age. He was followed by Don Beamsley in 1966 and even High Schooler Donna Parker in 1972.   Shortly afterward, Helen Dell took the job full-time and continued until 1988.  Nancy Bea Hefley succeeded Dell, starting her first year during that magical 1988 season. 

Nancy Bea followed Dell in the conservative style that proceeded her.  Always polite. Never offensive in any way.  She gave a positive spin on things.  Broadway show tunes and the like were common. You wouldn’t hear rock n roll from Nancy Bea, though we’re sure she could play it.  She has perfect pitch and can play just about anything at the top of her head.

Hefley continued in the capacity for 27 years, but her relocation to Northern Nevada made keeping up with the rigors of the home schedule and traveling back to Los Angeles nearly impossible.  This opened the door for Dieter Ruehle, the LA Kings/Clippers/ Lakers/Sparks organist, who substituted frequently before being offered the position with Nancy Bea’s retirement.

You could say that Ruehle was born for this.  We have all heard the stories of Vin Scully being mesmerized as a child as he listed to the live feeds of college football games on his family console radio.  Dieter experienced the same thing when it came to stadium music. As a 12-year-old, Dieter had already decided that being a stadium organist at sports events was the occupation he wanted to do in life.  He was granted his wish to play the organ at a Los Angeles Kings game during a promotion with KABC television, and it simply took off from there.   He solicited his services with the Lakers, Kings, and Clippers as a teenager.  At age 15, the Clippers took him up on the offer and hired him.  And then the LA Lazers soccer club followed suit.  By 1989 the L.A. Kings signed him, and he already had over five years of experience.  It was hard to believe that he was only 20 years old.

Ruehle would often serve two functions with the Kings as the team organist and DJ as well.  This would require him to be completely on top of all the action.  Additionally, he was responsible for sounding the horn when goals were scored at Kings games, something you really couldn’t mess up.  It was in this active environment, in a quicker-paced sport, that Dieter developed his style, and it certainly wasn’t with conservative show tunes.  He played the latest pop and would spin the hip hop music as a DJ as well.  On the keys, he would play the likes of Janet Jackson, the Doors, Stevie Wonder, Queen, the Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, and more.

Ruehle patterned his playing after other organists, notably Chicago White Sox organist Nancy Faust, who played for the team for 40 years (1970-2010).  He was more prone to mix modern music and pop music than his predecessors.  As Ruehle became more seasoned, so did his active style.  He contracted with other teams (San Jose Sharks and Phoenix Coyotes) and at Olympic games and all-star games.  By the time the Dodgers hired him in 2016, Ruehle was at the top of his craft and known by his contemporaries as the best in the business.

Dieter has brought his personality to games and humor that sometimes goes unnoticed. If you pay attention and log his tunes, you’ll find that he comes up with music for just about every in-game situation you can fathom. Anyone following the Dodgers with an eye and ear for detail will notice how engaged he is. Aside from his constant serenading of individual player walk-up songs when they make a play, there are other nuances that can be noticed.

Figuring out the song title or lyric puns within the game can be a game in itself with Ruehle. It is literally a game of “Name that Tune” at the ballpark.  Periodically Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser will take notice of his creativity, and that usually makes for several minutes of back and forth with them, talking music and hearing Ruehle will play something they mention or request.   Their back and forth is pretty entertaining.

I will admit to not being well versed in the new music that is released these days. Dieter is on top of all that and more. He uses it. So there is a lot that I don’t catch. In the course of a game, he may play the Rolling Stones, Eagles, Queen, Drake, Smashing Pumpkins, Stevie Wonder, the Doors, and the Beatles.

An example was in Tuesday night’s game, Freddie Freeman fouled off a few pitches, prolonging the at-bat; Dieter started playing Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” I guess because he kept the at-bat going.

The Theme from “Bonanza” was played after a Dodgers scoring onslaught. Verified in a text to Orel Hershiser that he played it because it was a “bonanza” of runs. Only Dieter truly knows his reasoning.  Depeche Mode’s “I Just Can’t Get Enough” was a tune that he came up with when Hershiser claimed that he was wearing out the Bonanza theme for offensive rallies.

Other song puns I have noticed (and there are dozens that I most assuredly have missed):

• Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” was played during Padre sidearm lefty pitcher Tim Hill’s appearance.

• The theme from “Twin Peaks”. Often paid when there is a 2-2 count.

• The Beatles “Norwegian Wood” when Alex Wood takes the mound.

• “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” when Muncy does well.

• Close balls hit down the line are accompanied by the theme from “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.”

• The Theme from “Dragnet” after a Dodger batter was hit by a pitch.

• “House of the Rising Sun” when Kenta Maeda pitched.

• Theme from Gilligan’s Island when the game hits the “Three Hour” mark as in “three-hour tour.”

• Theme from Hawaii Five-0 when the team takes a 5-0 lead or when #50 Mookie Betts makes a highlight play.

• Theme from Monday night football when the Dodgers take a football score-like 7-0 lead.

• Theme from the obscure TV show “Room 222” when the deuces are wild in numerous parts of the game.

• Ruehle’s spontaneous repertoire has included Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet,” during a small earthquake that occurred during a game in 2018.

• “Closing Time” from the musical Rain when the season ended.

No previous Dodger organist would dare poke fun at an opposing player through music. Well, that changed. When former Astros were in town, the gloves were off.  Josh Reddick came to the plate to Ace of Base’s “I Saw the Sign.” Carlos Correa received Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road, Jack.” After striking out. Changers were in effect.

Dieter joined the Dodger entertainment crew representing a different generation and one that would play music that was more modern and contemporary to today’s age. For some old timers, that seemed sacrilegious. Truth be told, it was about time for it, though.  I will admit to not being a fan at first, but let’s face it, I’m old.  Ruehle’s creative approach and humor were noticed, and I came around.  He is entertaining, and who can complain about that?

Ruehle’s style was quite a change for the relatively conservative Dodger org., who were probably the last team to bring modern music into their stadium. I don’t believe the Dodgers began piping in rock and hip hop music until well into the 1990s, while other teams had been doing it for years. We had Nancy Bea and the organ, and that was it. For some fans, that was actually all they wanted, but the Dodgers have awakened to the fact that they must cater to a younger generation of fans for the future of the game. The game and the entertainment that accompanies has required that change and the Dodgers moved along with the program.  It was about time.