On Anaheim Street, a variety of businesses have thrived over the years. Many have come and gone, from the Cabart Theater in the 1950s, to the local headquarters of the John Birch Society in the late 60s to the head shop, the Generation Gap, a few years back. One business was rooted in the sales and service of motorcycles, Joe Koons Motorcycles, which gained worldwide fame through theatrical Hammond Organ concerts.
Motorcycles and movie-palace music may seem an unlikely combination, but for nearly two decades they coexisted under the same roof. Koons spent his days selling and repairing motorcycles at 1350 E. Anaheim Street. On Saturday nights, he entertained hundreds of people with one of the largest privately owned theater pipe organs in Southern California.
In 1956 he purchased his first full-sized Hammond organ, replacing a small spinet model. He added chimes, a rhythm box, unusual sound effects, red and green lights beneath the keyboards, and even a giant crash cymbal powered by a mechanism built from parts scavenged from an old Indian motorcycle…