The Alley - Oakland

The Alley
photo from Our Oakland

The Alley is a long-time piano bar at 3325 Grand Avenue in the Lakeshore neighborhood that started in 1934. It's famous for at least two things: Rod Dibble the long-time pianist, and the decor. And while Dibble made it famous, long-time owner Jody Kerr made it great.

The interior is loosely designed to look like an alley, with fake roofs, windows and telephone poles, and appears to have not been updated in decades. The walls are covered in business cards which may or may not be a terrible fire hazard.

The Alley also serves food, including steaks, burgers, and even a vegetable plate. There are several side dishes served "Alley-Cart". First person who reports back about the steak wins a prize!

Won 2014 "Readers Choice" Best Steaks in Oakland Magazine.

The film Blindspotting had a scene set at The Alley.

When COVID closed The Alley, regulars took the singing to Zoom with a virtual tip jar to help pay the bills. ¹

Eary History

The first newspaper references found are from 1934, when it was called Grand Alley. In March, a young man who was denied a drink deliberately drove a stolen car into the side of the building. F.J. Hoffman was the owner at the time. But a week later, it was found that the liquor license was in the name of F.J.'s brother, Harry William Hoffman, and the license was surrendered.

1934

Having live music dates back to then; Harry applied for a cabaret license in January, and in April there was a wanted classified for a "young lady to play piano or string and sing."

By the end of 1936, it was run by Ray McCormick and M. Parker.

In 1940, an ad touted something new in “The Alley”: you could grill your own steak. Cliff Gamble was one of the proprietors. He applied for a cabaret license in 1949. It's not known what years The Alley featured piano music, but it dated back to at least 1948 as part of "Breakfast in the Alley."

19401948

A 1950 ad announced that it was under new management, George “Doc” Krummes, and Walt and Margaret (Maggie) Williams. Bob Harris was playing piano and singing.

1950

Jody Kerr

From c.1950 to 1995, it was owned by Ina Jo “Jody” Kerr. She worked there as a waitress for 6 years before buying it. In 1954, it was owned by Kerr and Maggie Williams.

1950

Kerr restarted the piano bar in 1960. Bob Harris who had played at The Alley before was featured.

The business cards on the walls date back to at least 1958. They took a jump in 1959 when Kerr started an "Alley Cat" club, and also started serving lunch. By December, there were an estimated 2,500 cards on the walls.

Kerr was known as being no-nonsense but generous. She had a Siamese cat, which she naturally named Ali Kat. She was also a coin collector, and started an investment club; of 30+ members, she was the only woman. During the Vietnam War, she offered to host 30 Vietnam vets from Oak Knoll Naval Hospital each Thursday night, even offering to charter a bus.

Kerr died in 1995, and her portrait hangs on the wall.

Rod Dibble

Rod Dibble was hired by Kerr c.1960. The earliest mentions found are from June 1961, but Dibble had been a hot commodity around Bay Area clubs since 1954. Dibble played at other clubs after that; it's not known when he started playing exclusively at The Alley, possibly 1964. Bob Harris, Jack Shaw, Lois Gates, and Bill Rice also played at The Alley during that time, and Harris was featured at least through 1962.

19611962