J is for...

J is for...journal, journey, joining, jukebox

J is for jukebox.

Growing up in the 50s and 60s, jukeboxes were everywhere. My parents even had friends who had one in their bay house. As kids we used to love begging our parents for quarters and taking turns picking out songs and as teenagers, we put plenty in, often loading it up with a queue. You don't see them much anymore, new technology and all that.

This is intended primarily as a visual journey but here's few facts lifted straight from wikipedia.com:

one of the first selective jukeboxes was introduced in 1927 by the Automated Musical Instrument Company, later known as AMI.

The term "jukebox" came into use in the United States around 1940, apparently derived from the familiar usage "juke joint” from the Gullah word "juke" or "joog" meaning disorderly, rowdy, or wicked.

Wallboxes were an important, and profitable, part of any jukebox installation. Serving as a remote control, they enabled patrons to select tunes from their table or booth.

Initially playing music recorded on wax cylinders, the shellac 78 rpm record dominated jukeboxes in the early part of the 20th century. The Seeburg Corporation introduced an all 45 rpm vinyl record jukebox in 1950 leading to the 45 rpm record becoming the dominant jukebox media for the last half of the 20th century.

Jukeboxes were most popular from the 1940s through the mid-1960s, particularly during the 1950s.

Styling progressed from the plain wooden boxes in the early thirties to beautiful light shows with marbleized plastic and color animation in the Wurlitzer 850 Peacock of 1941. But after the United States entered the war, metal and plastic were needed for the war effort. Jukeboxes were considered "nonessential", and none were produced until 1946.

Many consider the 1940s to be the "golden age" of jukebox styling.

All images off the web.