Jukebox: The Teenage Revolution
An outstanding artistic and heritage programme celebrating the jukebox and teen culture in the 1950s, with partners Lancaster University Library.
The Project
▪ A series of original events to reveal how the distinctive British jukebox was created on the seaside coast of Lytham, Blackpool and Morecambe and how this led to the boom in youth culture during the 1950s.
▪ A multi-faceted exhibition revealing the history of the jukebox locally
▪ Engaging with local communities to encourage the creative exploration of the jukebox in its time and draw on artefacts and archives connected to its development in Blackpool, Lytham and Morecambe
▪ Art installations, subject to Arts Council funding, to mark the jukebox’s importance to the growth of youth culture and the rise of the social phenomenon of coffee and milk bars in the 1950s
▪ Capture and creatively present, the voices, views and memories of people, now in their late seventies and early eighties, who lived through this key period of social change. This will be a celebration of their life and times and we are seeking people who used juke boxes in the 50s and 60s to chat to them about their experiences.
Why
The history of the rapid development of the ‘homegrown’ Jukebox is relatively undiscovered yet in the 1950s a British jukebox industry, based in large part in Blackpool and Lytham, flourished by creating a distinctive, original and quirky machine that owed little in its design to its US equivalent.
Along with the growth of milk and coffee bars, the jukebox gave teenagers an ‘escape’ from the parental gaze and a freedom to explore their own tastes in music, fashion and styles.
It is of interest not only to the local community but also on a regional and national stage given that jukeboxes were central to the growth of youth culture in the 1950s.
There is rich documentation to explore via the Ditchburn history website and the Jack Hylton Archive at Lancaster University
The distinctive machines themselves offer an intriguing canvas to inspire artists and creative producers.
Jukeboxes were an important catalyst in musical awareness because they disseminated American music by bypassing the BBC’s near monopoly broadcasting position. Jukeboxes in this instance played a remarkably similar role to those in pre war America where juke boxes circumvented racist restrictions imposed by commercial radio stations.
It offers a wonderful opportunity to promote the special nature of 1950s youth culture within the communities by the seaside who experienced jukeboxes, coffee bars and changing lifestyles at the time. Culture plays a crucial role in reanimating high streets and bringing life back to our historic town centres.
The context is historically significant. It is the trigger period of the ‘teenage consumer’ who spent money on commodities of ‘no lasting value’ like records, make-up and juke box music. Young people’s post-war socialisation was influenced by several key factors like educational opportunity, class structure and an increase in disposable income.
Where
Community spaces in Blackpool, St Anne’s and Morecambe.
Who
The project is directed by Mirador in association with Lancaster University Library. Mirador blends expertise and know how to originate, research, develop and deliver magical and inspiring projects which fuse arts and culture that connect people to their location, heritage and history.
Lancaster University Library provide expertise, guidance and knowledge around archival material held at the university and elsewhere.
The project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players they support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Their vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. They believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Creative Brief
The creative programme for Jukebox, subject to Arts Council funding, will be a series of subject/period/heritage responsive works that will take place in locations in Lytham St Annes, Blackpool & Morecambe and at Lancaster University Library.
As such, the creative programme will draw heavily on artefacts, recorded information, fashion, photography, music, jukeboxes and social history of the 1950s.
Featured Artist
Steve Fairclough.
With 23 years’ experience in Professional Theatre and Community Arts. Storytelling, creative writing, poetry, drama, oral history, heritage and Dementia Arts.
Steve’s skills and inclusive person centred approach uses active listening and coaching, to allow a focus on individuals, supporting their personal journey of learning, imagination, and creativity throughout a project.
Jukebox Journeys
Jukebox Journeys will be fun, casual, informal gatherings where you can share stories, memories, memorabilia including your records, and meet like-minded people in a fun atmosphere over a cuppa.
Coffee Bar Mapping Sessions
Coffee Bar Mapping Sessions: Do you remember the coffee bars? Come and have a nostalgic chat as we remember the coffee bars and milk bars in 1950s and 1960s Lancashire, with Steve Fairclough..
Stanley Park Visitors Centre, Stanley Park Cl, Blackpool FY3 9TR
• Thursday 16th May 1-3pm: Jukebox Journeys
• Thursday 13th June 1–3pm: Coffee Bar Mapping Session 1
• Thursday 20th June 1–3pm: Coffee bar Mapping Session 2
The Assembly Rooms, Dicconson Terrace, Lytham, Lytham Saint Annes FY8 5JY
Wednesday 15th May 2–4pm Jukebox Journeys.
Lewis’s Cafe, 253 Marine Rd Central, Morecambe LA4 4BJ
Tuesday 21st May 4–6pm Jukebox Journeys Lewis’s Cafe Morecambe.
Get in Touch
Please get in contact if you wish to discuss a project with us or have feedback on one of our events.
We also welcome your ideas, thoughts and memories about any of our existing projects.