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Eddie Layton played the organ during
baseball games at Yankee Stadium for
almost 40 years. This CD is a 1997
commemoration of Layton's 30th
anniversary as the Yankees organist.
The CD, produced by Silva Screen
Records America, Inc., is a compilation
of 18 of Layton's favorite songs played
at Yankee Stadium. Starting with "Take
Me Out to the Ballgame," it
also includes, "New York, New
York", and "Blues for Mickey," which is
dedicated to his late friend, Mickey
Mantle. To Mickey "You Really Had
Heart"
In the 1950s, Eddie Layton secured a job at the legendary Copacabana Night
Club, which increased his exposure.
Eddies popularity increased so did his
opportunities and he began to work
outside the lounge on national radio
programs. He shared the bill with such
musicians as Guy Lombardo, and Lawrence
Welk.
In the early 1960s, Eddie worked for
CBS radio and on television he
performed the music for The Secret
Storm, The Love of Life, Love is a Many
Splendored Thing and other classic
soaps. In 1967, as Eddie continued to
work on soap operas, CBS purchased the
New York Yankees. CBS then asked Eddie
to play at the stadium for the home
games.
This herald Eddie's foray into the world of sports, and he could be heard
playing for the next 18 years with the
Knicks and the Rangers as well. In the
1990s he also played for the NY
Islanders. When he retired on September
28, 2003, he played a final performance
of Take Me Out to the Ball Game, to
fans cheering "Eddie! Eddie!"
'I’ve had my day,’ Eddie told The New York Times in October 2003. ‘Playing
with 50,000 watts of power, what rock
star has an amplifier like that? I play
for up to 56,000 people a night. Not
even Madonna has done those kind of
numbers.'” The organ Layton played all
those years at Yankee Stadium is now in
the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning
Center at Montclair State University in
Little Falls, New Jersey.
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