Jukeboxes

by Segrave, Kerry

• ISBN13: 9780786411818
• ISBN10: 0786411813
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-02-01
• Publisher: McFarland Publishing

Summary

This work traces the history of the jukebox from its origins in the invention of the phonograph by Thomas Alva Edison in the 1880s up to its relative obscurity in the year 2000. The jukebox's first twenty years were essentially experimental because of the low technical quality and other limitations. It then practically disappeared for a quarter-century, beaten out by the player piano as the coin-operated music machine of choice. But then, new and improved, it reemerged and quickly spread in popularity across America, largely as a result of the repeal of Prohibition and the increased number of bars around the nation. Other socially important elements of the jukebox's development are also covered: it played patriotic tunes during wartime and, located in youth centers, entertained young people and kept them out of "trouble." The industry's one last fling due to a healthy export trade is also covered, and the book rounds out with the decline in the 1950s and the fadeout into obscurity. Richly illustrated.

Author Biography

Kerry Segrave is also the author of Age Discrimination by Employers (2001), Baldness: A Social History (1996), American Films Abroad (1997), American Television Abroad (1998), Tipping (1998), Movies at Home (1999), and Shoplifting: A Social History (2001); among other works exploring American culture. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia

Table of Contents

Preface	1	(2)
The Jukebox Arrives: A Dictaphone Gone Bad, 1870--1907	3	(17)
The Piano Outplays the Box, 1907--1933	20	(28)
Jukeboxes Spread Across America, 1934--1940	48	(80)
Boxes Gets Patriotic, and Curb Juvenile Delinquency, 1941--1945	128	(38)
The Nickel and Dime War, 1946--1950	166	(59)
Jukes Have One Final Fling, 1951--1959	225	(49)
Slow Fade to Obscurity, 1960--2000	274	(28)
Conclusion	302	(5)
Appendix A. City Jukebox Taxes and Ratios of Jukes and Locations to Population	307	(20)
Appendix B. Jukebox Exports	327	(8)
Appendix C. Jukebox License/Fee/Tax by State	335	(2)
Appendix D. U.S. Exports of Coin-Operated Machines	337	(2)
Notes	339	(16)
Bibliography	355	(14)
Index	369