Lead vocalist of ‘Ok Blue Jays’ unites Barrie, Ont. crowd with iconic anthem

CTV's Sarah Freemark speaks with the man behind the unofficial Toronto Blue Jays anthem.

It’s a tradition that never fails to fire up the crowd at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Before fans launch into “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” they rise to their feet and sing along to “OK Blue Jays,” the unofficial anthem that’s been part of the Jay’s culture for more than four decades.

Even though the Blue Jays are out west this week taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers, a piece of the Toronto team’s musical history found its way to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 147 in Barrie, Ont.

On Friday night at the Barrie Legion, local band The Pepper Shakers — Hank Fox, Dominic Fiorda, and Pat Gowan — were performing when a surprise guest took the stage.

The crowd was treated to a familiar and beloved tune known by thousands of Jays fans right across the globe, performed by none other than Keith Hampshire, the unmistakable voice behind the iconic hit “OK Blue Jays."

Written back in 1982, “OK Blue Jays” began as a lighthearted jingle to promote the team and attract new fans to baseball. It quickly struck a chord, becoming a nationwide hit and earning gold status after selling more than 50,000 copies.

Recorded at Eastern Sound, a now-demolished studio in Toronto’s Yorkville district, the song featured a group of studio musicians known as The Bat Boys, with Hampshire on lead vocals.

By then, Hampshire was already an established artist best known for his 1973 number one Canadian hit “The First Cut Is the Deepest.”

More than 40 years later, the song still rings through the stadium every seventh-inning stretch, uniting fans in a chorus that celebrates Canada’s blue and white team.

With files from CTV’s John Vennavally-Rao