David Rockola; Leading Maker of Jukeboxes

David Rockola, whose name became synonymous with the jukeboxes he developed after he converted his Chicago manufacturing plant from scales to songs, has died at 96, a family spokesman said Wednesday.

Rockola, who died Tuesday in Chicago, was the founder and former chairman of Rock-Ola Manufacturing Co., which turned out the coin-operated machines.

For years, Rock-Ola and Wurlitzer dueled for the jukebox sales championship of the nation. When Wurlitzer suspended production in 1974, as the video age replaced the audio age, spokesmen for Rock-Ola said that their company’s sales had gone up 100% in the last decade and that there were 600,000 Rock-Ola jukeboxes tucked away in bowling alleys, bars and coffeehouses throughout North and South America.

Current figures were not available from the privately held company.