PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — That calm, soothing, deep voice runs in the family. It's a gift the late, great Harry Kalas graced Phillies fans with for nearly four decades. Close your eyes, use your imagination and his dulcet tones still fill the air around the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.
"Swing and long drive!"
"Chase Utley, you are the man!"
"... but he has hiiiiigh hopes!"
The latter is a mentality passed on to Kalas' son Kane. It has helped inspire a soon-to-be released album, called "High Hopes," and featuring not only "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," but also the Eagles’ fight song, “Fly, Eagles, Fly!” — a fitting soundtrack for the next week and a half.
"The music — it has this nostalgic effect on me," says Kane. In April, he will release the 18-track album of songs near and dear to his beloved father — Kane’s baritone matched with an ensemble of authentic Philadelphia musicians.
The long-desired project, which took several years to complete, is dedicated to his dad and the city of Philadelphia — which Harry’s microphone-shaped tombstone overlooks from the heights of Laurel Hill Cemetery.
"I knew it's something I always wanted to do," Kane said. "I really needed to wait until I had enough time, so I had enough resources to really do it the way I wanted to do it."
In addition to the Eagles’ fight song, the album features “High Hopes,” the song Harry was known for, as well as “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and other mid-century crooner standards.
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The album is available for pre-sale at kanekalas.com and will be available for purchase at the Phillies home opener on April 6. Kane will sing the national anthem that day, nearly 14 years to the day after his father’s passing.
This Sunday, Kane will be in Media, where he grew up, leading an Eagles pep rally. Then Kane and his band will perform some songs from the album before a 3 p.m. parade down Main Street.
“I bleed Eagles green,” Kane said. “The first football game that I ever watched was an Eagles game, and I must have been 4 or 5 at the time. And there’s my dad, and we’re watching on TV. The Eagles score a touchdown, and he starts singing ‘Fly, Eagles, Fly.’ And I’m like, ‘Dad, what are you saying.’ And he’s like, ‘That’s our fight song.’ So, I learned it at a very young age.”
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To this day, Kane says he still hears from HK’s fans.
“Just to see the continued impact that he has on the city of Philadelphia — it means so much to me. And I love it when people come up and I hear a lot of stories about how he was just the sound of their summer, and how they used to listen to or watch baseball games commentated by my dad with their father, and how it brought them closer to their loved ones. And it’s just so awesome.”