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The Golden YearsWurlitzer Today
Our founder, Rudolph Wurlitzer was born in Schilbach, Saxony, in 1829. His family had built a reputation for making and selling musical instruments dating back to the 17th century. At age 24 he imigrated to America and, three years later in 1856, he founded The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Initially he imported musical instruments from his family in Germany to sell them on the American market. Eventually Wurlitzer made his way into manufacturing. The next major musical venture for Wurlitzer came with the introduction of cinema and theatre organs. These instruments, dubbed Mighty Wurlitzers, instantly created a sensation when they appeared on the market during the era of silent movies. The introduction of Wurlitzer-driven musical soundtracks to movies helped to foster dramatic changes within the motion picture and entertainment industries. |
 Wurlitzer has historically implemented a philosophy, which is still valid today, of channelling flexibility and advanced technology into the development of innovative products. Consequently Farny Wurlitzer, successor of the founding father, bought a patented jukebox mechanism in 1933 and hired highly skilled professionals for design and marketing. From their new location in North Tonawanda, New York, these imaginative inventors developed the first Wurlitzer Jukebox, the "Debutante". This marked the start of a new age for jukeboxes. Over the next few years, Wurlitzer Jukeboxes became widely embraced by operators. By the late 1930's, Wurlitzer was producing over 45,000 jukeboxes per year. |
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 In the late 1930's and throughout the 1940's, the styling of Wurlitzer Jukeboxes was taken to a new level by a gifted designer named Paul Fuller. Among the models introduced during the early 40's were the 700, 750, and 850. With their sophisticated and artistic use of plastics, glass, and wood, these designs became instant classics. This established Wurlitzer as a definitive force within the industry.
As fate would have it, this was also the time when war broke out. In 1941, the US government mandated that the Wurlitzer factories be used to produce war related materials. The use of metal and plastics were also severely restricted during this period. Wurlitzer responded to these obstacles by releasing several now legendary models including the 42-Victory and the 950, which relied heavily on wood and glass. |
 At the end of the war, in 1946, the sales of the Wurlitzer 1015 Jukebox went off with a bang. People became mesmerized by the attention to styling details including animated bubble tubes, revolving color columns, and a revealed record changing mechanism. This forerunner to today's One More Time sold over 56,000 units during the first 18 months after it's introduction to become the most successful jukebox of all time.
Throughout the next few decades following the "golden years" of the jukebox, Wurlitzer continued to steadily release innovative designs. The record selection capacity increased. The audio quality of our jukeboxes became more powerful and stereo sound quickly replaced mono. During this period, musical standards also shifted from 78 RPM vinyl records to 45's and LP's. Wurlitzer was consistently an early adapter of these new technologies. The popularity of jukeboxes, however, began to suffer slightly in these years as television took over as the dominant form of entertainment. |
In recent years, a renewed interest in jukeboxes has arisen. The nostalgic look of the Wurlitzer Jukebox has become a symbol of the "good old days". Today, many of the Wurlitzer Jukeboxes from the Golden Years have become much sought after collectors items. Thus, a revitalization of Wurlitzer Jukeboxes began in 1985 when the internationally renowned Nelson Group of Companies aquired Wurlitzer Jukebox Company. Among the latest jukebox designs from Wurlitzer are the 1015 One More Time CD Jukebox, the Princess CD Jukebox, the Elvis Presley Limited Edition CD Jukebox, and the Johnny One Note CD Jukebox. The One More Time is a nostalgic reproduction of the original Model 1015 that has been updated with state-of-the-art digital technology. The Rainbow has fast become a favorite among commercial operators with it's outstanding features and powerful sound. |
The main office for Wurlitzer Jukebox Company is now located in Gurnee (Chicagoland), Illinois, USA. Our 80,000 sq. ft. jukebox production facility (pictured) is located in Stemwede-Levern, Germany. A global network of representatives, dealers, and importers provides the expert knowledge and experience to support Wurlitzer customers all over the world. Our development and technical engineers, along with production, assembly, quality control, sales, and marketing teams work together to produce products that we are proud to put our name on. All of these talented individuals have earned Wurlitzer Jukeboxes a reputation for uncompromising quality, spectacular sound, and cutting edge design. |
Wurlitzer is "The Name That Means Music To Millions"!
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In 1880, the first Wurlitzer piano was built in the USA. From there it was only a small step to the first jukebox. In 1896, the first coin-operated electric piano, the "Tonophon", hit the market. That was the beginning of what proved to be a continuing success story.
As has always been the case with Wurlitzer, the company again forged forward by introducing new jukeboxes which utilized the latest available technologies. The first Compact Disc jukebox from Wurlitzer was produced in 1989.
