Photo of Vicki Bock (colloquially known as the Organ Grinder’s “Monkey Lady”) with two good friends.
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The Organ Grinder “Farewell Concert”
On January 30, 1996, five days before the Portland Organ Grinder closed, three performers entertained the audience: Paul Quarino, Donna Parker, and Jonas Nordwall. Although not a scheduled event, it represents a “Farewell Concert”, as it was the last time these three performers would play together at the Organ Grinder. Three different fans independently recorded…
The Grinder that Never Was
Early in the planning stages for the first Organ Grinder, the founders used an architecture firm which specialized in restaurants and hotels. The design was very conventional – a rectangular building, with the entrance and kitchen at the front, and the organ at the back. No towering windows showing off the pipes to the street,…
Denver Organ Grinder News Segment – Keith Kendall Interview – Vintage 1980s
Here’s a recently-restored and upscaled vintage TV news segment from the famous Organ Grinder restaurant in Denver, Colorado. This segment was produced in the early-to-mid 1980s by KOA/KCNC-TV Ch4 (Now CBS Colorado). The Organ Grinder Documentary Project has digitized and restored dozens of hours of vintage footage which has been contributed by fans. Perhaps you…
Bubbles, Awake!
During each performer’s 45-50 minute set at the Organ Grinder, there were a few routine bits that were usually included, such as a silent movie, or a round of Happy Birthday. One well-known bit was to play “Tiny Bubbles” while running the bubble machines located high above the audience. Children (and some adults!) would run…
Organ Grinder Time Capsule!
(Post updated 2025-07-13 with technical info.) In this newly-acquired footage from the 1970s, organist Jonas Nordwall performs a full set at the Organ Grinder restaurant in Portland, Oregon. This compilation is from vintage video tapes which were recently provided to the documentary project. Sometime around 1977, representatives from Sony visited the Organ Grinder to test…
Disco!
There is a connection between the Organ Grinder restaurants and the legendary Earthquake Ethel’s Roadhouse nightclub in Beaverton. Several of the same people were involved, and Ethel’s will have a chapter in the documentary. And here, we are happy to present to you, an original painting of the mythical Ethel herself, loaned to the production…
