From St. Louis sports organist to TikTok star: Jeremy Boyer
If you’ve ever attended a Blues or Cardinals game within the last 17 years, chances are you’ve heard Jeremy Boyer playing the organ. Now, a new generation is recognizing him not just fo… Jeremy Boyer, a former organist for the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues, has been recognized for his music and social media presence. Boyer learned to play organ at his local church and convinced his alma mater, Southeast Missouri State University, to be the first organ player at baseball games. He then applied for the position after posting videos on YouTube and receiving interest from both the Blues and Cardinals. His most popular videos feature classic songs like "Still DRE" and "When the Blues Go Marching In". Boyer has gained nearly 300,000 followers and over seven million likes on the TikTok video app.
Published : a month ago by Megan Mueller in Entertainment
ST. LOUIS – If you’ve ever attended a Blues or Cardinals game within the last 17 years, chances are you’ve heard Jeremy Boyer playing the organ. Now, a new generation is recognizing him not just for his music but also for his social media presence.
An organ sat in Boyer’s home most of his childhood, but untouched. His grandmother passed the instrument down to Boyer’s mom, who played it when she was a teenager, but didn’t touch it after that.
“When I got to be a teenager myself…I knew how to read music a little bit from (band and choir)…I was like, ‘I’m going to figure out how to play a little bit,” he said.
And he did exactly that, quickly becoming familiar with all the notes and teaching himself along the way.
“My mom taught me how to chord some stuff…but a lot of it was just sitting down and using the knowledge I had about how to read notes,” Boyer said.
His dedication to learning himself showed success. He began playing at his local church and convinced his alma mater, Southeast Missouri State University, to let him be the first organ player at baseball games. One of his fellow alumni happened to be an intern with the Cardinals affiliate team, the Memphis Redbirds, who were in need of an organist.
The networking worked in his favor. He began posting videos on YouTube, and the St. Louis Blues saw his work.
“They said, ‘Hey, we’re interested in bringing you in; would you be interested in the position?’ Boyer said. “(My YouTube channel was) nearly nothing at the time, but how many people do organ music and have a connection to St. Louis?”
The rest is history with the Blues. At the time, there were some employees who carried out their roles for both the Blues and the Cardinals. As Boyer had previously sat in with former Cardinals organist Ernie Hays and played during innings here and there, it naturally presented the opportunity to transfer his work to Busch Stadium as well.
Once Boyer mastered the skills of playing the organ at live games, he focused on incorporating the fan-favorite songs everyone has come to love.
“(My favorite thing to play) is when we score, I get to play ‘When the Blues Go Marching In’ which is a great tradition of the team and an exciting moment,” Boyer said. “It’s really kind of evolved…a lot of times before, it was more about getting everyone clapping and maybe chanting along, but now it’s evolved more into singing along.”
Some of those songs that get fans showing support through vocal chords include “Mr. Brightside,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and “Just a Friend.”
As Boyer is a girl dad to three, he says they’ve kept him up-to-date on all the trends, from popular music to apps, including TikTok. While he says he was late to the game on the social platform, he has surely caught up.
“Benefit of having three younger daughters who are listening to this (popular) music, and I’m like, ‘What was that song?’ and I hear the slow clap and it gets faster, and I’m like, ‘That’d be perfect,'” he said.
Boyer has gained nearly 300,000 followers and over seven million likes on the video app. His most popular videos, which individually have 10 to 19 million views, feature him playing classic songs like “Still DRE” or the famous tunes that get Cardinals and Blues fans amped up.
The videos have grown to be more, as it provides an opportunity to connect with hockey and baseball fans in a different way. While sitting at the top of section 328 talking with Boyer, a group of teenagers came up, recognizing him from TikTok. One by one, they stopped and took a photo with him in front of the organ.
One person commented on his YouTube channel that Boyer is not just an organist but a “vibe creator.” Boyer has since put the phrase in his biography.
“I’m out here with the crowd; I’m a fan, (too). I feel the same kind of vibes they’re feeling and I try to emulate that through my music,” he said. “If I have the opportunity to play (fan requests), I’ll play them, and they get a kick out of it and that’s something they remember for the rest of their lives.”
As social media, especially TikTok, is ever-changing, Boyer says he is consistently coming up with ways to incorporate new content to keep fans and followers alike tuned in.
“For me, I keep trying to learn more music, be more innovative, you know…try to think of fresh ideas,” he said. “But not losing all the things people come for either, those kinds of traditions. But I’m always looking for new stuff.”
To follow Boyer’s behind-the-scenes account of the live music fans hear in Enterprise Center and Busch Stadium, click here.
Topics: Influencer