This guy has played for 83 million people and you’ve never heard of him.

Joshua Skaja
Aug 29, 2017 · 2 min read

Last night I walked down to Wrigley for the Cubs-Pirates game. Baseball is an old school game, and few ballparks do old school better than Wrigley.

Big touring acts, wedding bands, & even the solo act at your local bar are all using prerecorded “tracks” in their shows.

But somehow Wrigley still employs a live organist to add musical color commentary between plays (and of course to back whichever celebrity is singing Take Me Out To The Ballgame in the 7th inning stretch).

Last night, that celebrity singer was… Gary Pressy.

Who the hell is Gary Pressy?

He’s the Cubs’ organist, and he was celebrating his 2500th consecutive performance. Two thousand five hundred shows! That’s more than the Rolling Stones! More than the Grateful Dead!

Ballpark attendance at Wrigley is famously strong (even when the team is not). I did a little back-of-the-envelope math, and by my count, Gary Pressy has performed for 83 MILLION people over the course of the last 30 years.

Plus he’s got a World Series ring.

And yet there’s no way you’d recognize him in public. There’s no crowd of people interrupting his lunch, asking to take a selfie with him.

That’s a fucking great gig.

And yet another reminder that general fame is stupid.

)

Joshua Skaja

as seen on TV & in Seth Godin’s Purple Cow. guitarist for @understreetlamp. creator of GuitarOS. unfucking the way guitar is taught. http://FretboardAnatomy.com

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