The year 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the iconic sports anthem, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” The ASCAP Foundation—a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs—states that the song is directly responsible for its formation.
The ASCAP Foundation was incorporated in 1975 when Amy Swor Norworth, widow of Jack Norworth, the lyricist who penned “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with composer Albert Von Tilzer, left a generous bequest to ASCAP to establish the Jack and Amy Norworth Memorial Fund to assist deserving young composers through the use royalties from “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
“The deep, emotional connection that the American public has with ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ is a testament to the power of music to shape our experiences and to bring us together,” says Karen Sherry, vice president and executive director of the ASCAP Foundation. “The place that this song holds in the history of American music is all the more special, given its role in helping many others to pursue the craft of songwriting that Jack Norworth himself so loved. All of us at the ASCAP Foundation are indebted to his generosity and celebrate this amazing milestone, as we continue our work of encouraging young songwriters to pursue their dreams.”
The ASCAP Foundation and its connection to this song is featured in a new special edition hardcover book and CD titled Baseball’s Greatest Hit: The Story of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”, published this year by Hal Leonard.
The ASCAP Foundation is planning further activities to celebrate “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” throughout 2008. For more information, visit www.ascapfoundation.org.
