Before jukeboxes, music boxes or player pianos were the primary forms of coin-operated public entertainment machines. The invention of vinyl records in the first decade of the 20th century saw the development of machines that, for a nickel, would allow the customer to crank the mechanism that turned the cylinder against the stylus. The jukebox came along when electrical amplification and recordings reached the commercial level in the 1920s.
The first electrically-amplified multi-selection phonograph, or jukebox, was produced in 1927 by the Automatic Music Instrument Company. It proved immediately popular as it allowed establishments that could not afford to hire an orchestra or a band to present music.
The name jukebox is thought to derive from an old Gullah word "jook." "Jook" meant "to dance" although with a somewhat wilder, more rowdy or sexual connotation. The makeshift bars workers on Southern crop fields used to frequent where called "juke joints" and these establishments were among the first to install the new machines.
Jukeboxes thrived in the 1940s and 1950s. Radio broadcasts were dominated by classical or swing orchestras then and establishments with jukeboxes were often the only place to hear new music such as rock and roll. Revolutionary artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry owe much of their success to jukeboxes. Notable jukebox manufacturers were Rock-Ola and Seeburg, whose M100C model is featured in the opening title sequence to the classic TV series "Happy Days."
Wurlitzer started out making organs for theaters. In 1933 it agreed to make a jukebox called the "Débutante." This coincided with the end of prohibition when jukebox orders skyrocketed due to newly-opened bars and clubs. By 1937, Wurlitzer had sold 100,000 units. To reflect the new-found freedoms and excitement, Wurlitzer designed jukeboxes with neon lights and chrome finishes.
Traditional jukeboxes fell out of favor by the 1990s because they could not compete with digital music devices. Bar and club owners opted for the new machines with innovations like remote controls. The classic jukebox didn't go away completely as its modernist design still carries some nostalgic appeal in the 21st century.