The
term "jukebox" originated in the South as a slang term used by field
workers. The term could refer to the African word "joot" meaning to
dance or "jook" meaning disorderly or wicked. The term "jook
house" was used to describe out of the way shacks used by southern field
workers for dancing, drinking and also as brothels. According to Wurlitzer,
the first reference to Jukebox came from a Texas distributor around 1937 (http://tomszone.com).