THE JUKEBOX

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.