Today marks a pivotal moment in music history! On 23 November 1889, Louis Glass introduced the world to the first jukebox at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. It was an Edison phonograph, modified with a coin slot and housed in an oak cabinet, powered by a 25-pound sulphuric acid battery. This early jukebox played just one wax cylinder at a time, and you had to change it by hand. Fast forward to 1985, when Sound Leisure’s first Classic-style jukebox was launched – the 1050.
The story behind it? Alan Black, our founder, became aware of some Wurlitzer 1050 cabinets that had been left untouched in Mexico following the unfortunate failure of Wurlitzer in 1974.
Alan contacted the owner to make a deal, and everything seemed set: money wired, and the anticipation of the containers arriving began. However, a massive earthquake hit Mexico, and all communication was lost for months. Alan feared he’d lost his investment (this was in the days before email and mobile phones).
Then, out of the blue, the containers arrived, and the Sound Leisure 1050 was born. This machine is where our Classic journey began. We now have 70 full-time team members and ship our Classic jukeboxes worldwide. Pictured here is the very first 1050 – serial number N001 – that we purchased earlier this year from Stuart, who was the original and only owner. After 39 years of enjoyment, Stuart bought his second machine from us, and we now have N001 proudly on display in our reception to welcome visitors. Almost 40 years on, N001 gets played daily.
