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Jimmy Buffett is an author, song-writer, singer, and environmentalist. His persona was formed with his first song “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean.” His biggest hit came in 1977 with “Margaritaville.” But his most valuable album is the 1970 album, “Down to Earth.” Released on Barnaby Records, a copy can sell for up to $200.00 today. A year earlier Audio Mobile Records issued the Jimmy Buffet 45 “Abandoned on Tuesday.” That single can now sell for $500.00.

It all began for Lightnin’ Hopkins in Houston with a self-made guitar fashioned from a cigar box and chicken wire. Worried that black artists were not receiving the royalties due them, Hopkins insisted on cash for each studio take. He is recognized as one of the great Blues artists of all time. His album, “Lightnin’ and the Blues,” released on Herald Records in 1960, is worth up to $1,000.00 today. His 1958 album, “Strums the Blues,” on Score Records can now sell for $1,800.00.

Being in the right place at the right time paid off big time for Eva Boyd. She was babysitting for song-writers Carole King and Gerry Goffin when they asked her to sing a song they had just written called “Loco-Motion.” The single chugged all the way to # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. A copy of the 45 is worth up to $30.00 while the “LLLLLoco-Motion” album by Little Eva, released on Dimension Records in 1962, can fetch $350.00 today.

Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs were basically one-hit-wonders and that hit came in 1960 with “Stay.”  The song holds the distinction of being the shortest #1 hit in the history of Rock & Roll. Released on Herald Records, the single is worth up to $50.00. The “Stay” album from 1961 can get you up to $250.00 today.

She was born Ruth Brown but the world of music knows her as Dinah Washington. She crossed many musical boundaries including Blues, Jazz, Pop, and Rock and Roll. Her biggest hit came in 1959 with “What a Difference a Day Makes.” A copy on Mercury records is worth up to $20.00. A combination of pills and alcohol silenced her amazing voice in 1963. Her debut album “After Hours” on Emarcy Records was released in 1954 and can fetch $400.00 today.

Buffalo Springfield became ground-breakers for what is known as Country Rock. They had their biggest hit in 1967 with “For What it’s Worth.” And for what it’s worth, the 45 is worth up to $20.00. The group was short-lived but members went on to form other groups such as Poco, Loggins & Messina, and Crosby, Still, Nash & Young. Their self-titled album on ATCO Records came in two versions. The one with “For What it’s Worth” is up to $50.00.  A version of the album without the hit can sell for $300.00 today.

The Buckinghams had 5 top-20 hits. In 1967 they went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single, “Kind of a Drag,” worth up to $20.00. USA Records, which released the 45, also issued the “Kind of a Drag” album. If you have a copy with 12 songs on it, it’s worth up to $30.00. However, if you have a copy with 13 songs, the value jumps up to $125.00 today.

Buster Brown was almost 50-years-old before he had his first and only top-40 hit with “Fannie Mae” in 1958. The 45 version on Fire Records is worth up to $50.00, up to $400.00 as a 78. In 1960, Fire Records released the Buster Brown album “The New King of the Blues.” That can get you up to $600.00 today.

If there’s a king of Glam Rock it has to be David Bowie. Not only a recording star but also a producer and actor, Bowie was a force in music since 1969 when his hit, “Space Oddity,” made him a star in his native England. His 1973 single “Time” on RCA is worth up to $50.00 but if you have or find an original copy of the “Time” picture sleeve, your “time” has come. It can sell up to $7,500.00 today.

“Private Hell 36,” a movie released in 1954, was part of the genre known as black and white “film noir.” It’s considered one of the best “B” movies of the day. Starring Ida Lupino and Howard Duff with music by Leif Stevens, the soundtrack album on Coral Records is worth up to $100.00 today. “Private Hell 36” is just one of the 10,000 soundtracks listed on our Soundtracks CD, covering movies, TV, and Broadway shows. It’s available in the left hand column.