Saw a random picture of an old piano, captioned ‘Jazz piano in Lewisham Station’.
I wonder why pianos weren’t more common in public places? Restaurants always had jukeboxes or radios. Nightclubs had pianos only for professional performers who were part of the scheduled entertainment.
In that era MANY people could play the piano competently, and sheet music was sold along with records. The ‘piano girl’ was an official role in middle-class households, even in the ’30s when phonographs were universal and radios were common. Everyone could sing competently.
Businesses didn’t take advantage of these common skills to provide background music for the customers and work for some deserving kids. It wouldn’t have been much more expensive than Muzak. Seeing and hearing local talent would have been an added attraction.
Polistra's Mill 