Before there
were smartphones where you can produce music instantly with a click of a button
there was the Jukebox. In the Restaurant I worked as a teenager- that is what we
had for entertainment. My father and Uncle were part owners of Joe’s Spa in the
1950’s. I had just graduated from High School and was desperate for spending
money before attending college. They allowed me to work as much as I wanted and
that is how I was able to work the night shift on Saturday evening with my
Father and open on Sunday morning with my uncle.
For those of
you who were around in Southie in the 1950’s you know that Joe’s Spa was the
only game in town. The “Blue Laws” were in effect which meant all of the bars
closed Saturday at midnight. By 12:15 A.M. everybody ended up at the Spa. It
was absolute bedlam.
Back to the Jukebox. Before the first sandwich
was served the music started. Now there were at least 50 -45 rpm discs loaded
for play(100songs), but everyone wanted the latest hits for their enjoyment. Among the
songs popular then and the ones that have been stuck in my mind ever since -were
Tennessee Waltz and I Went to Your Wedding by Patti Page. Cry by Johnny Ray, Mona
Lisa by Nat King Cole, Goodnight Irene by the Weavers, Because of You by Tony
Bennett, You Belong to Me by Jo Stafford, Wheel of Fortune by Kay Starr, Why
Don’t You Believe Me by Joni James, Oh My Papa by Eddie Fisher, Mule Train by
Frankie Laine, and Sixteen Tons by Ernie Ford. There were others as well but
these were the ones played over and over and over again all night long.
The last
thing I did before closing on the Saturday shift was to pull the plug on the
Jukebox. When I returned on Sunday the first thing I did was to plug in the
Jukebox. You guessed it. Even though there were few customers in the early
morning Sunday shift the music played for several hours- the same songs over
and over and over again. Today whenever those songs hit the airwaves I get
nostalgia of the simpler time in my life.
