Long before he became part of the soundtrack of Busch Stadium III, a young Dwayne Hilton would travel from Ozark country with his family to St. Louis to watch Cardinals baseball with the late Ernie Hayes’ organ ringing out over the loudspeakers. Now 42, Hilton remembers thinking as a kid, “Man, wouldn’t that be cool to play the organ for the Cardinals someday?” It was a dream job—come true: Hayes retired in 2010, after 40 seasons; Hilton took over the next season.
How did you land the job? I’m a partner at Lacefield Music, which sells pianos, organs, and keyboards. Eleven years ago, I got a call from the Cardinals saying, “We built this new stadium, and we’re interested in putting in a new organ.” So I loaded up a bunch of organs and took them to the stadium. I did a demonstration; I was playing all the ballpark music and sounds that would come from the organ. At the end of the day, they said, “We want the organ, but we want you, too.”
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Was the interview really that quick? It really was. Ernie was the Cardinals’ organist for a long, long time, and I think he was looking to go into semi-retirement. It was just a great opportunity, so I filled in occasionally. Then Ernie officially retired, and I became the full-time organist.
Did you work closely with Ernie? A lot of people think maybe I took lessons from him or that sort of thing, but no, not at all. I really didn’t know him that well, other than by association. That first year was pretty much baptism by fire. I went to the first game, and they said, “Take notes and watch what Ernie does.” I looked over his shoulder and watched the whole game with him and took some notes. The next day, I was in the hot seat.
What did you learn during those first few games? The timing. Major League Baseball rules that all music in the stadium has to stop when the pitcher steps on the rubber and the batter steps in the box. You have to watch the game very closely and be mindful to time the songs to where the music will hit at a stop.
What’s your favorite song? The Budweiser jingle “Here Comes the King,” especially when the Clydesdales are in the stadium.
