History and background of the Jukebox
The great jukebox eras

The history of old jukeboxes can be roughly divided into three categories: Golden age, Silver age and the console jukebox.
The Golden age began when commercial jukeboxes started in the early 30s up to the late 1940s. Typified by their glowing colours, visible mechanism and varnished wood finishes attracting potential customers. The Silver ages marked a change in style in the early ‘50s and like the cars of the time were covered in chrome, still with visible mechanisms but now with bright fluorescent lighting.

Times changed as the 60s came, visible mechanisms were out of fashion and the Console design evolved. A more subdued, practical styling with record titles on a flat area and a raised rear section showing the latest artist or coloured patterns.

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A little about the most famous jukebox companies

Justus Seeburg emigrated from Sweden to the USA in 1887 to start a career in the piano industry. This developed into coin operated pianos and eventually jukeboxes. Seeburg was the biggest of all the manufacturers and always ahead of the competition with new innovations, the most notable being the first 200 play jukebox in 1955 – the V200.
Originally from Germany, Rudolph Wurlitzer set up a piano factory in New York State, USA becoming famous throughout the world not just for jukeboxes but also the ‘Mighty Wurlitzer’ cinema organs. The most popular jukebox of all time is the Wurlitzer 1015 of 1946 with well over 50 thousand produced and even today there are several styling copies being made. After a long successful span of 40 years, part of which as a market leader, the factory closed in 1974 although the name lives on with retro CD playing jukeboxes.

David C. Rockola (yes, that’s his real name!) started making commercial phonographs around the early 1930s in Chicago, Illinois. They produced a number of outstanding designs throughout the 50s also being the first company to produce a compact wall mounted jukebox for the smaller locations where space was a premium. Rock-ola is still a thriving jukebox manufacturer.
The National Automatic Music Company, like Seeburg, produced pianos in the early 1900s but was renamed Automatic Musical instruments (AMi) in 1945. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan they were the smallest of the four companies although took advantage of the growing European markets. The import restrictions imposed in most countries after the war were overcome by licensing agreements and in England the BAL AMI company was formed. Although AMI produced a number of elegant designs it is probably the futuristic styling of the Continental model of 1961 that is remembered. The company was taken over in 1962 and became Rowe AMi and still manufactures jukeboxes today.