Stadium organist entering 8th season at GABP

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Cincinnati Reds Opening Day will take place Monday, April 3.

The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, and another sound of the ball park: Da-da-da-da-da-daaaah ... charge! The stadium organ.

The man behind the music is also the man behind those who keep people safe. John Schutte is a captain with the St. Bernard fire department. Firefighter Schutte's other job is to fire up the crowd at Great American Ball Park. Stadium organist for the Cincinnati Reds, Schutte is entering his eighth season.

He also plays keyboards for the popular Cincinnati rock band, The Rusty Griswolds. One evening, the Griswolds were playing GABP at fireworks night. The Reds had done away with live organ music a few years before that.

Schutte said, "And I said, 'If you guys need somebody to play let me know.' They said, 'Are you doing anything this Sunday?'"

He's been coming back ever since.

A lot of little kids dream of becoming a firefighter. But not too many kids dream of becoming an organist, let alone a stadium organist. Well, in this case, the story starts back at St. Al's Parish Church in Bridgetown.

"When I started taking piano lessons, I took them from a nun. And she played organ for weekday masses and Sunday masses. And I think she wanted a break so she made me learn the organ," said Schutte.

Of course, church music was different. But the skills were the same. And besides, some fans refer to ball parks as green cathedrals.

During games, Schutte plays a mix of popular songs, baseball favorites, and what's known in the trade as "cheese" which is the stuff designed to get the fans on their feet. And as musicians would put it, it's a pretty good gig. There are only 30 Major League Baseball teams so there are only 30 organists; pretty select company.

"When I think of how few guys there are and how seldom the opportunity comes up, yeah it's neat," said Schutte.