Nancy Bea

Nancy Bea Hefley(born February 24, 1936) was the stadium organist for 27 years forMajor League Baseball'sLos Angeles Dodgers.

Biography

Early life

Bea grew up in theLos Angelesarea, and began playing the piano at age 4 by listening to her seventeen-year-old sister, and by the age of seven she was also proficient at playing theaccordion.At the age of thirteen, she talked her piano teacher into teaching her the basics of the organ. She has been playing the organ at Bellflower Baptist Church for over 55 years; it was there that she met her husband, Bill. She also plays the organ at theOrange County Fair,thePomona Fair,and has played shows inLas VegasandLake Tahoe.

Los Angeles Dodgers organist

In the mid-1980s, Bea filled in for a friend as the organist forCalifornia Angelsgames atAngel Stadium,and was offered a job which she declined not wishing to take work from a friend. When it was announced in 1987 that long-time Dodger organistHelen Dellwas to retire at the end of the season after fifteen years, Bea auditioned at an exhibition game between the Dodgers and theUSC Trojanson February 14, 1988.She did not preplan her programs, getting her cues from the events occurring on the field during the game and including a variety of popular pop and rock songs alongside older and less commonly played numbers. Bea– alongside announcersVin ScullyandRick Monday– was a great crowd favorite atDodger Stadium.

On October 2, 2015, Bea announced her retirement following the 2015 season and was replaced with Los Angeles Kings organistDieter Ruehle.