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The juke joint -

The term jukebox derives from the terms “juke joint” or “juke houses,” referring to places where people would gather to drink and listen to music in the 1900s.

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Where the term came from -

Juke joints were illegal brothels and bootlegger shacks where enslaved Americans would sometimes escape their cruel lives and drink moonshine.

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Inventors -

The jukebox was first invented in 1889 by Louis Glass and William S. Arnold. The two decided to create coin-operated players.

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San Francisco’s Palais Royal Saloon -

In 1889, the first jukebox ever was introduced at San Francisco’s Palais Royal Saloon.

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Coin-operated music boxes -

Coin-operated music boxes and player pianos, the latter introduced in 1902, were the first forms of automated coin-operated musical devices.

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Headphones -

People would pop in these old acoustic headphones, which were just listening tubes. You could choose between records and select what side to play.

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A new device to switch songs -

It was Hobart C. Niblack of Rochester, New York, who patented an apparatus that would change records automatically. This allowed for the first automatically-selecting phonograph to be produced in 1927 by AMI.

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A loudspeaker -

Justus P. Seeburg, who was a manufacturer of pianos, created a loudspeaker for a record player in 1928.

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The Great Depression -

Tavern owners became very fond of jukeboxes during the Great Depression in the late '30s, because hiring a band was impossible.

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Bar owners were delighted -

Being able to have music in the bar, even if it was from a machine, meant that they could keep customers happy and coming back for more.

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Technological advancements -

From 1930 all the way through to the 1970s, jukeboxes soared in demand and went through radical technological changes.

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Shellac then vinyl -

Shellac dominated jukeboxes until Seeburg Corporation introduced an all 45 rpm vinyl record jukebox in 1950.

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It spread -

Jukeboxes ended up appearing in drugstores, ice cream parlors, and dancehalls. They were everywhere because wherever they were people came and spent money.

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The mini juke -

It was in the 1950s that the miniature juke got placed on tables at diners. You could sit and have your lunch and pop in a coin to play a song while you devoured your sandwich.

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Labels loved them -

They were a fantastic machine for big record labels to leverage their cataloged music on because if they could get their music on it, they would sell more records.

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The amplifier -

They became more popular once the electric amplifier was invented and began being used because the sound could fill large rooms.

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Stereo sound -

In the 1960s, stereo sound became popularized by bands like the Beatles who were experimenting with production methods in studio. Jukeboxes around this era were being designed to provide a sample of this stereo sound technology.

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The King -

'Hound Dog' and 'Jailhouse Rock' by Elvis Presley are thought to be two of the biggest jukebox hits of all time.

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Patsy Cline -

‘Crazy’ by Patsy Cline comes close. It’s not clear how many plays it would have gotten on a jukebox though.

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Bill Haley & His Comets -

Bill Haley & His Comets had ‘Rock Around the Clock,’ which had people busting a boogie back in the day.

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Otis Redding -

‘(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay’ by Otis Redding was another huge draw for the jukebox.

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Marvin Gaye -

'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' is still a huge number that is found on jukeboxes today.

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Bobby Darin -

'Mack the Knife' by Bobby Darin would have been found on players all around the world.

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TouchTunes -

It wasn’t until 2010 that a company called TouchTunes changed the way it operated completely. They introduced mobile apps and touchscreens.

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The iconic machine lives on -

They’re pretty hard to come by these days, even though there were thought to be around two million of them in circulation back in the day. They are less relevant now, but they’re certainly not less iconic.

Sources: (Facts 'O Fun)

See also: The best music memoirs of all time

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