A jukebox is a classic piece of Americana that’s at home in a variety of places, to 50’s diners and country/western bars. From restaurants to clubs, owners show them off in style. Even the Crosley jukebox has seen its fair share of improvements since the device was first released.
If you were in an establishment and wanted to spend money to play a song, jukeboxes could facilitate that need, making a lot of money in the process. You could find them in dance halls and at county fairs. Jukeboxes quickly became a rapidly growing subculture that continues to this day.
Before the jukeboxes became popular, there were coin operated phonographs. These were used in many places and were well received by the public. But people were limited to listening to only one record at a time which would last for 2 minutes.
The famous Crosley jukeboxes were derived from the original developments done for the traditional jukebox in the 1930s. It all started when Powel Crosley balked at the price he would have to pay to get his son a receiver radio for his birthday. Instead, he constructed his own for the equivalent of $35, much less than purchasing it. Crosley then developed record boxes, telephone units, as well as several other mass market items for consumption by the public, using his newly minted company.
The name ”jukebox” was actually coined in the early 1900’s in the US, and its origin was the African word ”jook,” which in English means ”to dance.” It was the Automatic Music Instrument Company, in 1927, that actually manufactured the very first jukebox. The advent of the jukebox allowed clubs and other places to entertain the customers they had coming in any time of the night or day without the cost of an orchestra or a band. It was also a unique concept for the people to have the option of more than one song.
The sale of the jukeboxes soared after the depression years because people could buy them for their own homes as well. The Crosley jukebox was also available, and today it is considered a valuable item by collectors.
The jukeboxes today are built to play CDs instead of records, so the older jukeboxes have become pieces of art to collectors. When people see the older jukeboxes they start to reminisce about fast cars, rock and roll music, and the drive-hamburgers places of their younger days. To have one of these pieces of the past, that is still functional, probably explains why so many people want to collect them.
In addition to the Jukebox, Melvin has written on shoes as well, read his other articles at men’s Italian shoes or tabletop jukebox.
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