Eddie Layton (c.1927 - December 26, 2004) played the organ at Yankee Stadium for 38 seasons, earning him membership in the New York Sports Hall of Fame.
Layton was a native of Philadelphia; he graduated from West Chester Teachers College majoring in meteorology with a minor in music. He began playing the organ when he was 12 years old. While serving in the United States Navy during World War Two, 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.
He joined the New York Yankees francise in 1967 when team president Mike Burke inaugurated organ music at the stadium. When he was hired, he had never been to the stadium and knew nothing about baseball, but quickly learned the ropes. He went on to play for the Yankees for over 3 decades, with a brief break in the 1970s whilst he pursued other musical commitments. When he retired on September 28, 2003, his last performance was to play "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", with fans chanting "Eddie! Eddie!".
In addition to playing for the Yankees, he was the organist for the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers for 18 years. He also performed concerts in more than 200 cities for the Hammond Organ company and released 26 albums, selling over 3 million copies.
He died on December 26, 2004 at his home in Queens, following a brief illness.
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