In my day, jukeboxes were everywhere – you could sit in a restaurant, a diner, a luncheonette, or sit at a soda fountain and there would be a jukebox there.
They were these large, glassed-in boxes that played so many records. People would feed coins into that machine one after another so there was always music.
I grew up in the big band era and I loved the music. Of course, I also always loved to dance. Thank goodness, while in high school, I got some dance lessons. Not many guys did that. I was surprised when I was in college because I’d be out with my college football friends and there would be music and they didn’t even dance! I’d get up and dance all the time. I’m so glad for the music. It was really good for athletes because it made us so agile.
The big band bands were always found in the jukebox. I can recall, years ago, my wife and I would travel to Florida for the winter. On the way down and on the way back, everyplace we stopped, there was a jukebox. We didn’t need a large dance floor – there’d be just a little space in front of the jukebox and we would dance there. It was marvelous.
One time, when I was Europe, I got to see Glenn Miller’s band. It was such a treat. We were in Munich, Germany, when we got word that the Glenn Miller Band would be playing in an opera house in town.
When we got there, the place was full of soldiers. I could look down and see the band and see all of the soldiers sitting in chairs. It was a marvelous time. Glenn Miller was a top-notch band leader, along with many others. I used to love to dance to him.
I can remember that the show was put on just for us guys. Glenn Miller had been killed in airplane crash so someone ran the program without him, and it was such an occasion to listen to Glenn Miller’s music again. Seeing the Glenn Miller Band was such a thrill. I remember it so clearly how good we all felt after that concert.
Jukeboxes were all over the place in the United States. Everywhere you went you would come across a place that had a jukebox. I remember being in England, waiting for an invasion, during World War II.
I don’t remember seeing any jukeboxes, what I do remember is dart boards. They would shoot darts all day and night. In pubs everywhere, the men would throw darts at a board and there was no music in those places.
I believe jukeboxes were just an American thing. I’m so glad I got to experience that era of life with jukeboxes and good dance music. I haven’t seen one around for years. They are probably an antique item. Maybe, they are out of existence. Anyway, I’m certainly glad they were around in my day.
Robert “Boots” Chouinard lives in Salisbury.