Had things worked out differently, Robert Kris "Bone Daddy" Orendorff would loved to have been a musician. The devoted fan of heavy metal and hard rock had a passion for music but unfortunately lacked the necessary talents that would put him onstage. Undeterred, he found his place in the music world by promoting shows for bands he liked.
Initially, he made fliers and videotaped performances for friends' bands. In June 2005, he took another step and created a MySpace page for Bone Daddy Productions. He intended to use it only to promote shows in the area but the alterego took on a life of its own when Orendorff started contacting local venues about bringing in various tribute bands. Without really trying, he found himself in the booking agent business.

On November 3, Orendorff  and friend Shawn Jacober were returning home from a show in Eugene when both were killed after the car crashed into the back of a semi-trailer parked on the edge of the highway.

The legacy left behind by Orendorff is easy to see when you talk to any of the bands with which he worked. Still Dead's Tauren Black remembers him as a vocal supporter who could be counted on to show up at all of the group's shows. He was simply a music fan who wanted to improve the local scene and encourage people to support local music.

His wife, Deb, uses the word "humble" to describe Orendorff and says that his efforts were never to advance his own name. That hasn't stopped the bands he worked with from organizing various shows in tribute to him both locally and as far away as San Francisco.

While he may not have been a musician, Kris "Bone Daddy" Orendorff achieved rock star status to some degree.

Falling off the charts
There was once a time when the local daily paper featured the Northwest Top 10, which listed the best-selling regional albums at Ranch Records. According to David Ballantyne, who was tasked with compiling the charts at Ranch, the daily stopped publishing the rankings without even notifying him. Thinking they would soon return to featuring the charts, Ballantyne continued sending in the lists but when they continued to go unused, he stopped forwarding the information to them.
Salem Monthly has decided to pick up where they left off. From now on, you'll be able to find the Northwest Top 10 right here in Salem Monthly.