An american music maker
During the wake of the Great Depression and the advent of the second World War, the late 1930's welcomed the entertaining music available with the jukebox as a means of escaping hard times. In "The History of Coin-Operated Phonographs, 1888-1998" Gert J. Almind situates the jukebox in this historical moment noting how,
"With nothing but a nickel in ones pocket, some popular music, and a little light effect, one could dream away for a brief moment in the ordinary daily life, and the jukebox could or should expect better times as a cultural phenomenon" (32).
Almind categorizes the years from 1936-1948 as "The 'Golden Age' of Jukeboxes."
"With nothing but a nickel in ones pocket, some popular music, and a little light effect, one could dream away for a brief moment in the ordinary daily life, and the jukebox could or should expect better times as a cultural phenomenon" (32).
Almind categorizes the years from 1936-1948 as "The 'Golden Age' of Jukeboxes."
"A hand-wound phonograph could now provide music for dancing more cheaply, and often with greater variety than could a single singer, a duo or even a string band. In the late thirties the inroads made in group entertainment by the record industry were bolstered by the introduction of the mechanical players, which could handle as many as fifty records at a time. They were set up in the country districts at every crossing cafe, and in every joint and juke. The latter gave them their name - jukeboxes began to replace live musicians everywhere; florid, chromium plated and enamelled in genuine pop art fashion, they were installed at roadside booths, even on breakfast counters...”(Almind 10 from “The Story of the Blues” by Paul Oliver (first published 1969).
The jukebox across the pond
Watch a hilariously British demonstration of the use and production of the jukebox here. This short film moves backwards from the enjoyment of a jukebox in 1955 in a cafe to the busy behind-the-scenes making of the machine. A narrator helps to give the clip a story-like arc. He introduces the viewers to the popular music maker:
"The jukebox, normally associated with jazz and rock and roll, is rapidly becoming respectable and even plays that type of old fashioned music that one used to hear...".
A couple enjoys tea in the establishment and the man reaches into his pocket to hand the woman some change. The woman, sophisticated in dress with a hat and jewelry, approaches the jukebox to select a song. The jukebox itself is seated up a few steps on its own level, as if to showcase the machine for all to see and admire.
"At least this way, it's easier than asking the band leader for a favorite tune. There's no danger of having your request refused, provided you put your money in, of course."
In England, the jukebox seemed to garner a different audience. But still, the ease of selecting a song oneself and hearing exactly what you want to hear is appreciated in both countries. Where live music may have initially given birth to the jukejoint culture, the absence of real bands helped to make popular the convenience and repeatability of the jukebox.
"The jukebox, normally associated with jazz and rock and roll, is rapidly becoming respectable and even plays that type of old fashioned music that one used to hear...".
A couple enjoys tea in the establishment and the man reaches into his pocket to hand the woman some change. The woman, sophisticated in dress with a hat and jewelry, approaches the jukebox to select a song. The jukebox itself is seated up a few steps on its own level, as if to showcase the machine for all to see and admire.
"At least this way, it's easier than asking the band leader for a favorite tune. There's no danger of having your request refused, provided you put your money in, of course."
In England, the jukebox seemed to garner a different audience. But still, the ease of selecting a song oneself and hearing exactly what you want to hear is appreciated in both countries. Where live music may have initially given birth to the jukejoint culture, the absence of real bands helped to make popular the convenience and repeatability of the jukebox.