Select-O-Matic

The Jukebox that was truly memorable for me were the Select-O-Matic jukeboxes at the Georgia Diner on Queens Blvd in NY. I would remember after clubbing all night, that was our spot for a bite to eat and to listen to the beats of nostalgia. It took a bit of time for our songs to come up since it was always packed after 4 am! We would sometimes order more fries with mozzarella cheese and ketchup just so that we could hear our selected songs play in the order we chose.

The Select-O-Matics might have been just a connection to the real one somewhere in the Diner since everyone listened to the same song when it came up the speakers. But that was the place. The jukebox didnt have a lot of top 40 tunes of the times but it was packed with 50's and 60's classics! Elvis, The 4 Seasons, The Beach Boys, The Platters, you name it. It had a menu of songs behind a contured glass frame with shiny tin housing. It had buttons at the base of the jukebox and we would select the songs by pressing the designated buttons underneath. AcclaimImages.com has a great stock shot of the Jukebox.

We would leave The Georgia Diner without the beat of the club out of ears and with do-wop and early rock and roll music in our minds and hearts instead. It was a part of my past that I rarely talk about since it was just something that really just put me in a place of private heaven with a bunch of guys and girls where we didnt really think about who liked who and if there was really any serious relationship with that person. We just liked to listen to our songs and getting home to dream of Bobby, Elvis, and The Beach Boys at a time when America was in its pristine moment.