A jukebox is a large coin-operated stereo with a collection of albums and a mechanism for selecting and playing music. Jukeboxes used to play vinyl LPs of all sizes, but newer models now play CDs or even digital music files.
Jukeboxes were installed in restaurants, dance clubs, diners, and bars during their heyday in the 1930s and 1960s to blast out popular tunes so young people could dance and be coaxed into spending more money. Nowadays, a jukebox is more likely to be a valuable collectible in a private collection than to be used to entertain customers at a soda fountain.
The phonograph, a device that could play and amplify sound from an album, revolutionized the way people listened to music. The jukebox was a modernized version of the phonograph that required manual operation. Several companies began producing these automatic phonographs that could hold dozens of albums in the early 1930s. As soon as you rolled a coin into a slot and pressed the right button, it could play any single song from the album. The songs were organized on cards that corresponded to various button combinations, such as D-4. Different models could play 45s and 78s.
Dance halls in the South were the first to introduce the jukebox as a great way for young people to make extra money by giving them control over the amplified music. Because dance halls were already referred to as “juke joints,” “juke” became a nickname for the coin-operated phonograph. That was most likely derived from African-American slang, where “jook” meant a frenzied swarm of dancing children.
Of course, the jukebox design evolved over time to include a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes. One model, however, has become synonymous with the classic jukebox. The Wurlitzer Bubbler got its name from the fact that air bubbles floated up through glowing tubes of water along its sides. The top was also curved and had jewel-tone glass vials and gleaming chrome trim.
A vintage jukebox can now be found in a retro diner or a collector’s home. In fact, as the digital age has progressed, the term “jukebox” has come to refer to a computer program that manages your digital music files. This tool, like its mechanical counterpart, allows you to choose, arrange, and mix songs from your library, giving you complete control.