What is a JUKE JOINT?

Answer 1

A juke joint is traditionally an african american dance hall set far back into the woods or swamp to keep it secret. They were very popular in the early 1900s as a place to go dance, hear black artists that you couldn't hear anywhere else and just let go of the stress of the day. There was ususally some sort of illegal activity going on (drug use or use of bootlegged liquor) so it was important to keep it secret. Later on, the illegal activity slacked off, but the popularity of keeping the place hidden in order to keep from being harrassed by police officers (who were white at the time, not trying to be racial, just stating the facts). I've seen some other good answers also, so it seems to come down to what it was in your particular region. I just know about mine.

Answer 2

Well, you have some logical answers. They just have no basis in history. Juke joints predate juke boxes. "Juke" was once a slang term for sexual activity, so the term came about as a parallel to a place to go to "screw around." There's still an original-style juke joint in Merigold, MS that has live blues music that recently had a little blurb on-line. Wish I'd saved the URL.
They've all but died out, but they were just a place for field hands to go get drunk, dance, and socialize. Usually they were in some shack that had passed the point of its original purpose, though at their peak they were also urbanized. Great music, but they weren't always the safest places in the world, especially for white folks trying to intrude.
In the fifties, northern white people were introduced to southern black culture through the musical genres of jump blues and rock & roll. As a corollary, people started using the term "juke joint" in a much more general and cleaned-up manner, and they'd call it a juke joint if there was a malt shop where kids could put a nickel in the juke box. Those, though, were really just wannabe's.

Answer 3

Juke Joint

Small cafe/beerparlor found primarily in the Southern states where entertainment was primarily a "juke box" coin operated record player. Often associated with early Jazz and blues A dance hall of sorts. A southern version of the "roadhouse"
Often simple foods, 'soul' food, rice, gravey, greens and hocks or chicken stew was served later in the evening.

Answer 4

Here are some pictures:

http://images.google.com/images?q=juke+joint&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&um=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title

The Juke Box played the music.

Answer 5

Old fashioned name for a place that had a juke box. A place kid could go and dance. It was just slang,

Answer 6

Have you been listening to KMFDM? Juke Joint Jezebel maybe?

Answer 7

Watch the movie The Color Purple.