A fan favorite on the South Side, longtime Chicago White Sox organist Nancy Faust is reprising her role on a handful of dates this baseball season as a part of the White Sox’s 125th anniversary celebration.
Faust, whose sound became synonymous with the White Sox baseball fan experience for more than four decades, will reprise her role in the ballpark’s organ booth on the following dates:
- Sunday, May 11 vs. the Miami Marlins.
- Sunday, May 25 vs. the Texas Rangers, featuring a Charles Comiskey Bobblehead giveaway (first 7,500 fans who enter the ballpark).
- Sunday, June 8 vs. the Kansas City Royals, featuring a Ray Durham Bobblehead giveaway (first 7,500 fans who enter the ballpark).
- Sunday, June 29 vs. the San Francisco Giants, featuring a Luis Aparicio Bobblehead giveaway (first 7,500 fans who enter the ballpark).
- Sunday, July 13 vs. the Cleveland Guardians, featuring a Buehrle, Garland, García & Contreras Bobblehead giveaway (first 10,000 fans who enter the ballpark).
- Sunday, Aug. 10 vs. the Cleveland Guardians, featuring an Ozzie Guillén Bobblehead giveaway (first 7,500 fans who enter the ballpark).
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be returning to the ballpark and connecting with fans through music once again,” Faust said. “The energy of White Sox fans is unlike anything else, and I’m honored to be part of the 125th anniversary celebration.”
Faust was hired in 1970 to succeed former South Side organist Bob Creed. She spent over 21 years playing the organ inside a perch at old Comiskey Park, before spending another 19 at New Comiskey Park after it opened in 1991.
Widely recognized as a pioneer in her field, Faust redefined the role of ballpark musicians. She brought a gameday soundtrack that features a now-iconic adaptation of Steam’s “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” along with countless crowd-rousing riffs throughout the past four decades.
Faust was a part of a quartet of entertainment that became popular at Comiskey Park in the 1970s, featuring the likes of Harry Caray, Jimmy Piersall and Andy the Clown. Caray’s renditions of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” are often associated with the time he spent calling games on the North Side of the City, but Caray’s Chicago classic renditions actually originated during his days on the South Side, when Faust’s musical arrangements inspired him to start bellowing the song out loud to Comiskey Park over an open mic.
She also helped revolutionize the in-game experience by introducing personalized musical themes for White Sox players—an innovation that predated the now-standard concept of walk-up music. In 1972, she debuted a customized rendition of “Jesus Christ Superstar” for White Sox Hall of Famer Dick Allen, a moment widely credited as the origin of player-specific walk-up music in Major League Baseball.
Faust also made playing appearances for other Chicago teams in the 70s and 80s. She was the organist for the Chicago Bulls from 1975-84, and the Blackhawks from 1984-89, where she played a massive pipe organ at the old Chicago Stadium.
The White Sox’s next game is Monday at 6:40 p.m. versus the Kansas City Royals. Shane Smith (1-1, 2.23 ERA) is set to take the mound for Chicago, while Cole Ragans (1-1, 4.40 ERA) toes the rubber for Kansas City.
