In the early 90s, Sir Mix-a-lot and Kid Sensation were two of the hottest rappers on the Seattle scene. They had season tickets at the Kingdome and quickly became friends with the Mariners' new phenom Ken Griffey Jr. Kid Sensation and Griffey soon released a track called "The Way I Swing" which became a regional hit but has otherwise been mostly forgotten.
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Tim McCarver Sings the Great American Songbook
The late career vocal jazz record is a cliché at this point. Paul McCartney's done it. Elvis Costello, too. And Bob Dylan has released like four albums worth of Sinatra covers in the last few years. And Tim McCarver? He released his take on the so-called "Great American Songbook" in 2009.
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Darryl Strawberry – Chocolate Strawberry
In 1987, the Mets were defending World Champions and simultaneously more dysfunctional than ever. In July, they were in second place and star outfielder Darryl Strawberry sat out two games claiming he had come down with a virus. Yet he was still well enough to hit the studio with some local rap legends to track his new single "Chocolate Strawberry."
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V.I.E.W. – Extendagenda
In 1989, Jack McDowell purchased a drum machine and a four-track tape recorder and begin working on songs to pass the time. Teammate Scott Radinsky helped out, along with Cardinals farmhand Lee Plemel. The trio recorded a few songs which were originally released under McDowell's name on a cassingle that was sold at Comiskey Park during the 1990 season. Over the offseason, White Sox reliever Wayne Edwards replaced Radinsky as drummer, the band was renamed V.I.E.W., and they recorded their debut CD Extendagenda, self-released on the band's own Quality Start Records.
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Willie Stargell – New Morning for the World
In the early 80s, Robert Freeman, director of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, commissioned Pulitzer Prize winning classical composer Joseph Schwantner to write a piece of music called "New Morning for the World" to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freeman had the idea to pair readings of speeches from King with the dynamic backing of an orchestra. Of course, an orator such as King would require a narrator with not only a suitable voice, but one with name recognition and character to match. Somewhat surprisingly, Freeman's very first thought was Pirates' slugger Willie Stargell.
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Barry Zito – No Secrets
During his baseball career, Barry Zito's lackadaisical California surfer attitude earned him nicknames like “Planet Zito” and “Captain Quirk." These days you can find him strumming an acoustic guitar and singing pop country.
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Arthur Lee Maye & The Crowns
Most of the ballplayers that will ever appear on this website used their on-field accomplishments to launch their music careers. Not so for Arthur Lee Maye. His music career actually started before he became a professional athlete, back when he and his classmates would, as Maye would later describe, "all go doo-wopping up and down the halls" of Jefferson High School in Los Angeles.
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The Ballad of Maury Wills
Maury Wills first picked up the banjo in Spokane, WA in 1959, and the rest is history. He'd go on to make television appearances, perform in Vegas, make records with Lionel Hampton, and would even force the owner of the Dodgers to apologize to the Prime Minister of Japan. This story truly has it all.
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Ruben Sierra – El Beisbolista de la Salsa
Ruben Sierra released three records of smooth salsa crooning in the 1990s, each with a legendary album cover.
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Bronson Arroyo – “Covering the Bases” (2005)
You want to hear Boston’s #3 starter cover the Goo Goo Dolls? How about The Verve Pipe? How about the Foo Fighters? How about that one Incubus song with a rap verse? Do you know the one I mean? Do all Incubus songs have rap verses? I actually have no idea.
