Today, November 23, 2022, is Officially ~~~~~
With the invention of the jukebox over a hundred years ago, people could begin to enjoy music in restaurants and bars. And today, some fortunate Forgotten Hitters now have their own vintage Jukebox at home! It might be an AMI, Rock-Ola, Wurlitzer or a Seeburg, but the odds are, it’s a very colorful phonograph player! With all the songs they can play, they’re kind of like an 300-pound, non-portable iPod!
Historically, the Pacific Phonograph Company created the first jukebox calling it a “Nickel-in-the-Slot Phonograph” and it was put into operation on November 23, 1889. It was an instant success making over $4000 in its first year, the equivalent of over $125,000 today!
The name ‘jukebox’ is believed to be derived from the slang word ‘juke,’ meaning ‘to dance and act wildly.’
So, in honor of today, here’s my “Chuck Buell Nearly Two-Minute Jukebox Minute Medley!"
CB ( which stands for Coin-operated Boy!"
Jukeboxes were so popular in the '50's that Billboard used to run a weekly "Most Played In Juke Boxes" chart. Between January of 1955 and June of 1957, Billboard tabulated (by actual spins) the most popular songs as determined by those dropping their money into the slot! (I know from personal experience that well into the '70's and early '80's, jukeboxes were still a popular feature at a lot of the restaurants I would frequent. Just by my own personal observation, the two most-played songs I heard consistently no matter where or when I went, came out a few years after Billboard stopped publishing these stats. Hands down, the universal and unanimous juke box favorites ... and we're talking by a LONG SHOT here ... seemed to be "Beyond The Sea" and "Mack The Knife" by Bobby Darin.)
As a result of this different source of data tabulations, several songs made it all the way to #1 on Billboard's Jukebox Chart that DIDN'T make it to #1 on their Best Sellers or Top 100 Chart.
Here is the complete list (in chronological order) of Billboard's #1 Jukebox Hits:
1955
Let Me Go, Lover - Joan Weber (4 weeks)
Hearts Of Stone - The Fontane Sisters (3 weeks)
Sincerely - The McGuire Sisters (7 weeks)
The Ballad Of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes (3 weeks)
Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado (8 weeks)
Dance With Me Henry (Wallflower) - Georgia Gibbs (3 weeks)*
*a Number One Jukebox Hit only
Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley and his Comets (7 weeks)
The Yellow Rose Of Texas - Mitch Miller (6 weeks)
Ain't That A Shame - Pat Boone (2 weeks)*
*a Number One Jukebox Hit only
Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing - The Four Aces (3 weeks)
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford (8 weeks)
1956
Memories Are Made Of This - Dean Martin (4 weeks)
Rock And Roll Waltz - Kay Starr (6 weeks)
The Great Pretender - The Platters (1 week)
The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter (3 weeks)
Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley (8 weeks)
The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant (4 weeks)
I Almost Lost My Mind - Pat Boone (4 weeks)
My Prayer - The Platters (1 week)
Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley (11 weeks) / Hound Dog - Elvis Presley (11 weeks)
Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley (1 week)
The Green Door - Jim Lowe (3 weeks)
Singing The Blues - Guy Mitchell (10 weeks)
1957
Too Much - Elvis Presley (1 week)
Don't Forbid Me - Pat Boone (1 week)
Young Love - Tab Hunter (5 weeks)
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley (9 weeks)
Butterfly - Charlie Gracie (1 week)*
*a Number 1 Jukebox Hit only
[last chart published 6-17-57]
A few years back, I drove down to Normal, IL, for the weekend. It was a multi-purpose visit to see Paige, who was going to school there ... we had a nice dinner together at one of our favorite restaurants, Lucca's, and then walked up the block a bit to catch the Cornerstones Of Rock concert in the park.
Back at my hotel room, there was a BEAUTIFUL Juke Box display going on in the lobby, along with a record and collectors show in a couple of the meeting rooms. Another meeting room housed a live concert by Rick "Elvis" Saucedo, which I also attended. I wish I would have thought to snap a few more pictures of the jukeboxes, because these were vintage pieces in mint condition ... and priced accordingly!
How important was the jukebox to The History Of Rock And Roll?
Well, legend has it that radio programmer Todd Storz was sitting in a malt shop, waiting for somebody to show up for a meeting appointment when he noticed that over the course of the next few hours, the kids visiting the shop (an ever-changing crowd) continued to play the same forty records on the jukebox. The idea struck him that a Top 40 list of the most popular tunes with kids might make for an interesting radio concept.
Programmer Gordon McLendon ran with that concept and soon had radio stations all over the country programming their city's Top 40 Favorites. These two men are credited with launching the most popular concept of broadcasting during "the teenage era" ... BEST known as The Top 40 Era. By 1970, Casey Kasem had turned the concept into a multi-million dollar franchise. (kk)
