- published: 22 Jan 2009
- views: 26988
Edward M. "Eddie" Layton (October 10, 1925 – December 26, 2004) played the organ at old Yankee Stadium for nearly 40 years, earning him membership in the New York Sports Hall of Fame.
Layton was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the West Chester State Teachers College majoring in meteorology with a minor in music. He began playing the organ when he was twelve years old. While serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he learned to play the Hammond organ. After the war, he began a career as a professional organist writing scores for soap operas on CBS.
Layton joined the New York Yankees franchise in 1967 when team president Mike Burke inaugurated organ music at the stadium. At the time, he had never been to the stadium and knew nothing about baseball. He went on to play the organ for the Yankees for over three decades, taking break from 1971 to 1977 to pursue other musical commitments. When he retired on September 28, 2003, he played a final performance of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", while fans chanted "Eddie! Eddie!".
Actors: Robert Halmi Sr. (producer), Robert Halmi Jr. (producer), Gailard Sartain (actor), Mercedes Ruehl (actress), David V. Picker (producer), Lou Walker (actor), Dick Hyman (composer), Mary Nell Santacroce (actress), John A. Dunn (costume designer), Steve Landesberg (actor), Frank Saperstein (writer), Calvert DeForest (actor), Norman Gay (editor), Benji Wilhoite (actor), Lester Berman (producer),
Plot: Eddie is a down-on-his-luck bar pianist who has just been fired from another job. Desperate for work, he finds a school looking for a leader for its hopelessly incompetent marching band. Somehow, Eddie has to whip these kids into shape in time for the big band competition. Can he get them to march without tripping over their own feet, let alone win the contest?
Keywords: bandleader, contest, dog, field, georgia, high-school, high-school-marching-band, independent-film, musician, pianist