Getting to know the man behind the keys for the St. Louis Cardinals: Jeremy Boyer

Jeremy Boyer has been the organist for both the St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Cardinals since 2008 and 2011, respectively. While with the organizations, Boyer has seen ample success, ranging from the Cardinals' 2013 national championship to the Blues' 2019 Stanley Cup victory. He has provided excitement, joy, and energy to both Busch Stadium and Enterprise during his time at the keys in each venue.

I was able to ask Jeremy some questions about his career as a pianist and a fan recently. Below are the questions and Jeremy's responses.

1. How did your interest in music begin?

My parents were both in choir and band in school and shared their love of music with me. My mom played organ as a teenager, and my grandmother had an organ that she gifted to my mom when I was young. When I was in middle school, I played in band and was in choir and learned how to read music and applied what I learned to the organ at our house. I would hear the organ at church and at sporting events, and it piqued my interest in the instrument. 

2. Who are some people who were instrumental (pun intended) in your growth both as a musician and in the sports scene? I read that Ernie Hays was someone special to you, too.

I was in every band and choir I could be a part of in school from an early age. My mom helped me learn chords and how to play some things when I was first starting to play organ, but I took organ lessons in college from Ryan Hassell and later former Cardinals and Blues organist Ernie Hays!  I'm also a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO), where I earned a music degree in vocal music.

3. What is something you're proud of accomplishing in your career?

I first attended Mineral Area College (MAC) in Park Hills, Missouri, out of high school, and when I first started, there were 30-something music majors in my class. By the end of my 2nd year at MAC, there was just me and one other person left. I think if there's something I'm most proud of is that I have worked really hard to build a career doing something I love to do: playing and singing music full-time. Of course, in addition to getting to play for a wonderful parish like St. Francis of Assisi in Oakville full-time, I've played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Memphis Redbirds, and St. Louis Blues. With the Blues I've had the opportunity to play for an NHL All-Star Game, the 2017 NHL Winter Classic at Busch Stadium and, of course, a Stanley Cup Champion. I'm very grateful for these experiences that I'll have memories of for the rest of my life!

4. I know you're a devout Catholic who also plays at St. Francis. How have you been able to work your faith into your daily life?

I've learned a lot about St. Francis of Assisi while working there all these years, and St. Francis was a great example to follow in the way he believed love, humility, and compassion for others was the key to living a meaningful life.

5. If you were John Mozeliak/Chaim Bloom for one offseason, what would you do to make the Cardinals better?

More organ music. (Jeremy included a winking emoji here, too.)

6. What is your greatest memory as a Cardinals fan?

I have so many great memories as a Cardinals fan growing up, but my favorite memories are with my kids.  In 2011, I took my daughters out of school early before Game 7, and we brought chairs and set up outside of centerfield to watch the game on the TV in Ford Plaza and take in the atmosphere of winning the World Series with them! My youngest daughter was born in 2012, which was the first season I began playing for the team. Taking her and her sisters to Opening Day a few times, going to Cardinals games at Wrigley Field and Kauffman Stadium have been great memories as well!

7. What's your greatest memory as a Blues fan?

As a fan, my favorite Blues memory was watching those Blues teams from 1996-2002. Gretzky becoming a Blue, CuJo, Hull and Oates, the President's Trophy in 1999, the Western Conference finals in 2001 with Pronger and MacInnis. I loved watching the Blues as a kid with my brother Todd. As the Blues organist, I have a feeling you can probably guess what my favorite memory is so far!

At this point, I asked Jeremy if there was anything else he wanted me to include. He is quite a talented musician beyond the time he spends at Busch Stadium or Enterprise Center, and I wanted to allow him some self-promotion. I would highly recommend listening to his songs and album.

In 2023 I recorded and released a baseball organ album called "At the Pearly Gates of Baseball Heaven."  The title was inspired by a "Shannonism." I was playing organ for a game in 2015, and the late, great Mike Shannon said after hearing me play, "That's Jeremy Boyer at the Pearly Gates tonight." Then there's silence for a few seconds before you hear Mike's famous "Heh, heh..." chuckle and then John Rooney says, "I hope he's still with us!" before you hear me play again and Shannon exclaims, "THERE HE IS! HALLELUJAH!" lol I thought "At the Pearly Gates" (from the Shannonism) paired with "Baseball Heaven" was a great title to the album, and the clip from the broadcast is on the album too (with the express written consent of the St. Louis Cardinals and Major League Baseball lol).  If you're a Cardinals fan, you'll love the album, as it has a lot of the staples fans have loved over the years, including "Here Comes the King" (Budweiser), Ernie Hays's "Game Time," "Meet Me in St. Louis" and more!  It's everywhere you buy or stream your music.

If you want to get a great "behind the scenes" view of what I do for the Blues and Cardinals, give me a follow on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and/or X (Twitter) at @JABsMusic!