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Anita O’Day was a Jazz singer who broke the mold of the typical girl-singer of the fifties. She’s considered a pioneer in Be-Bop. Her bouts with drugs, alcohol, and wild ways earned her the nickname, “The Jezebel of Jazz.” Her 1953 album, “Singin’ and Swingin’,” released on Coral Records, is worth up to $150.00 today.  Her 1954 album On Clef Records can now sell for $100.00.

Genesis is one of the most popular and well-known groups of the seventies and eighties. They really had two different sounds, first with Peter Gabriel who was known for art rock and influencing such groups as Kansas and Styx. And then there’s the Genesis with Phil Collins as lead singer opting for a more romantic and commercial sound. The first Genesis single, “The Silent Sun,” released on a black Parrot Records label in 1968 is worth up to $4,500.00 today. The promo copy on an orange label is easier to find and worth up to $400.00.

In 1963 the Beach Boys had their second big hit with “Surfin’ U.S.A.” But not all is sunny in southern California as they are soon sued by Rock and Roll pioneer Chuck Berry for ripping off one of his biggest hits. He wins as his classic “Sweet Little Sixteen” matches “Surfin U.S.A” note for note. Chuck wins again when it comes to value. A copy of the Beach Boys’ classic 45 is worth up to $30.00 while Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” on a 78 can net you a “sweet” $200.00 today.

“Help” is the title of the Beatles’ 10th album in the U.S. and the soundtrack from the movie of the same time. John Lennon said the song, “Help,” was a cry for help as he was going through a deep depression at the time. It was originally meant to be a ballad, but pressure from the record company made him turn it into a commercial up-tempo “top-40″ offering. The original 45 with picture sleeve is worth up to $250.00. The original 1965 release of the album on Capitol Records is worth up to $250.00 in stereo and $350.00 in mono.

With the opening theme “The biggest show in town is Huckleberry Hound. For all you guys and gals. The biggest clown in town is Huckleberry Hound with all his cartoon pals,” this animated series debuted in 1958. Sponsored by Kellogg’s, the show was the creation of Hanna & Barbera. The 1959 soundtrack album, released in 1959 on Colpix Records, is worth up to $200.00 today. “Huckleberry Hound” 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.

Edwin Starr’s number one hit, “War (What is it good for? Absolutely Nothin’)” came in 1970. It was a protest song that is still popular today. Released on Gordy Records it is not a big collectible at no more than $10.00, but before “War” and other hits like “Double-O-Soul” and “Twenty-Five Miles,” Starr was a member of a group known as the Futuretones. Their single, “I Know,” on Tress Records from 1957 is worth up to $900.00 today.

It’s hard to describe the music of Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet). It’s a blend of Blues, Jazz, Classical, and Rock N Roll. Along with the Magic Band, he never had a hit. His music is considered more influential than popular. In the 80’s, he left music, settled down in the Mojave and concentrated on his abstract paintings. The Captain Beefheart album, “Safe As Milk,” with “Safe As Milk” bumper sticker, was released on Buddah Records in 1967 and is worth up to $500.00 today.

“I Fought The Law (and the law won)” was a top-10 hit for the Bobby Fuller Four in 1965 on Mustang Records, now worth up to $40.00. Fuller’s death, attributed to swallowing gasoline, remains an unsolved homicide and possible police cover-up. Maybe the law did win. But his classic lives on in Rock N Roll history and mystery. The original issue of “I Fought The Law” was released on Exeter Records in 1964 and is worth up to $500.00 today.

Best known as the creator of the Bakersfield Sound and co-star of TV’s “Hee Haw” along with Roy Clark, Buck Owens had the Country music tiger by the tail in the 1960’s with hits like “Act Naturally,” later covered by the Beatles, and “Waitin’ In Your Welfare Line.” But like many Country stars, Buck was a Rock N Roller in the beginning. Recording as Corky Jones, his 1956 single “Hot Dog” on Pep Records can sell for $400.00 today.  The same song under his Buck Owens name was released on New Star Records in 1958 and can bring $300.00 today.

To list all of Connie Francis’ hit records would take quite some time. Beginning in 1958 she had 35 top-40 hits. Among the biggest were “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Lipstick On Your Collar.” Like many of the 1950’s and early 1960’s recording artists, her career hit the skids with the arrival of the British invasion. Today, her 1959 hit, “If I Didn’t Care,” is worth up to $400.00 with its picture sleeve.