Lancaster University has captured memories of the 1950s and 60s rock ‘n’ roll era with the launch of a digital archive celebrating the British jukebox.
The coffee bar culture, music tastes, relationships and fashion trends were just some of the happy memories sparked for participants in a project which tuned into the jukebox culture of the time.
Working in partnership with Mirador Arts, a local arts and heritage charity, the university has captured those precious memories for posterity with the launch of a new digital archive, which is showcased on a new website launched this month.
It is available to the public and captures all aspects of a project celebrating the history of the British jukebox and its influence on teenage culture in the 50s and 60s.
‘Jukebox: The Teenage Revolution’ has been a year-long programme of events and research run by Mirador and Lancaster University Library.
Students from a range of backgrounds, mainly studying arts and social sciences, were recruited to interview people who were teenagers in those two decades about their experiences of this iconic era in popular culture.
The students’ involvement has helped them to develop their skills and promote a wider awareness of opportunities in the heritage sector.
More than 30 people were interviewed from Lancaster and Morecambe as well as from Blackpool and Lytham St Annes where the first British jukeboxes were produced.
Also among those interviewed were Karl Dawson, who has a Jukebox Museum in St Annes, Adrian Horn, a former Honorary Research Fellow at the University and author of Juke Box Britain and Jack Hylton Jnr, the son of famous band leader and impresario Jack Hylton, who was pivotal in bringing the jukebox to the UK and whose archive is at the University.
The eight student interviewers and others involved in the project received oral history training funded by donations from the friends and supporters of Lancaster University.
The recordings were made digitally and all those who provided their memories will receive copies of their interviews.
The University Library’s Special Collections and Archives will hold the recordings along with memorabilia donated by some of those interviewed. The online resource also features links to interviews and all the background information.
“The Jukebox project has provided an amazing opportunity to explore the local heritage of the British jukebox,” said Phil Cheeseman, Lancaster University Library’s Associate Director: teaching and engagement.
“Through our partnership with Mirador we have been able to reach new communities, provide opportunities for students to participate in community research, and have established a rich archive that captures and preserves the memories and stories of the jukebox era.”
For more information on Jukebox: The Teenage Revolution, which is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players, Arts Council England, the Granada Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation, visit www.miradorarts.co.uk
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