Jukeboxes have been an integral part of American and European life for so many years now.

Picture a jukebox and you have images of young teenagers rockin' round the clock,dancing to a swinging beat or at the very least it will invoke images of 'The Fonz' being as cool as only 'The Fonz' can be !

The term jukebox started around the 1930s in the United States and is apparently derived from the African-American slang term "juke" or "jook", meaning "dance".

The jukebox or music box was first seen back in the late 1800's but it didn't gain in popularity until they could be electrically run and amplified and the first selective jukebox was built in 1928.

Their heyday was from the 1940s through the 1950s and 60s and even though it is known more for the rock and roll era it was also very popular in the "swing era" before that.

One of the most famous jukeboxes is the Wurlitzer with its familiar rounded top and the front lights that gave it its memorable outline. The Wurlitzer jukebox was first used in the 1940s but it became very famous during the rock and roll era of the 50s into the 60s.

The Wurlitzer "1015-Bubbler" model is probably the most popular jukbox and highly sought after by collectors but other collector favorites are the Rockola models 1413 and 1422, the Seeburg M100C, the early AMI "TopFlight" Model [1936-38] and the AMI Continental which was especially popular in Europe, Wurltzer Jukeboxes were the 'in thing' in CarnabyStreet, London in the swingin' sixties.

There are now SO many people who collect vintage jukeboxes, in particular the Wurlitzer, for the feelings of nostalgia and memories they invoke.

Now that American Idol is in its 9th season, once again karaoke machines and jukeboxes are becoming sought after and VERY MUCH in demand.