Despite a sweep of the seriously impressive Tigers, I am left with a profoundly heavy heart after Stephen Nelson announced on the broadcast that one of my earliest musical heroes (and longtime facebook friends) — Nancy Bea Hefley— had passed away at 89.
For a lonely kid who found company in listening to music for as long as I can remember, it makes perfect sense to me that most of my earliest recollections of Dodger stadium are musical— and for the first 23 years of my fandom, it was Nancy Bea behind the keys deftly spinning her melodies into our memories, summer after summer.
To hear the organ come to life at Dodger stadium is to be connected to a musical tradition that spans generations, and indeed, coasts: Ebbets Field organist Gladys Goodding holds the distinction of being the very first professional baseball organist.
Gladys’ 15 year tenure with the (then Brooklyn) Dodgers from 1942 until the team left for Los Angeles in 1957 paved the way for other professional musicians — including other women like Helen Dell, and indeed Nancy herself— to succeed in making music for the Dodgers at the big league level.
Nancy’s 27 years of keyboard wizardry under bright Hollywood lights (starting with the magical ’88 season) set a new standard for Dodger organists not only in terms of career length, but also for musicality (she had perfect pitch, and estimated her own repertoire at over 2000 songs committed to memory) and for her positivity (she notoriously struggled with what to play when the Dodgers struggled).
In her capacity as Dodgers organist, and from the notoriety this afforded her, Nancy Bea played for presidents, contributed to film soundtracks, and delighted countless millions of fans— but above and beyond her musical and career bonafides, I will always remember her for her kindness (she accepted my friend request after all), her rapport with Vinny (they maintained a friendship after she retired in 2015 and he passed in 2019), and her dedication to family: her Facebook output was an engine of love, support, and pride for her large and devoted family.
Thank you, Nancy, for the memories and the music — some of which you can enjoy below.
