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From 1965 through 1971, Marty Balin shared lead vocals with Grace Slick in the psychedelic rock band, Jefferson Airplane. In 1975 he joined the offshoot of Jefferson Airplane when he became a member of Jefferson Starship. But before becoming a member of either band, he had two solo singles for the Challenge record label. Both “Nobody But You” and “I Specialize in Love” were released in 1962 and each is worth up to $200.00 today.

Johnny Cash had several hits on the Sun label such as “I Walk the Line,” “Ballad of a Teenage Queen,” “Cry, Cry, Cry,” “Big River,” “Get Rhythm,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” Many were number one on the national Country charts but his biggest Sun Record’s hit on the Pop charts was “Guess Things Happen That Way,” which reached #11 in 1958. The 78 rpm version is worth up to $100.00. The EP “Johnny Cash with the Tennessee Two,” which contains the hit, can sell for $125.00 today.

Jack Scott was one of the biggest stars of the early Rock and Roll era. His first hit was a 2-sided success with “Leroy” reaching # 11 and “My True Love” hitting #3 on the national charts in 1958. A copy of the 45 can now sell for $25.00. Six of the twelve songs on his first album became hits including “The Way I Walk.”  His first album “Jack Scott” was released on Carlton Records and his worth up to $300.00 today.

James Brown’s first hit was “Please Please Please.” It has become a Rhythm & Blues classic and recognized as the signature song for James Brown and The Famous Flames. Reportedly, the song came about because James Brown’s friend, Little Richard,had written please, please, please on an old napkin that he carried around and Brown felt the urge to write a song with that title. The single, released on Federal Records in 1955, is worth up to $40.00. The “Please Please Please” album was released on King Records in 1958. A copy can sell for $400.00 today.

Johnny Burnette wrote hits for Ricky Nelson like “It’s Late,” “Waitin’ in School,” and “Believe What You Say” before his name would join Ricky Nelson on the Billboard Hot 100. Burnette’s first hit “Dreamin’” came in 1960. In 1961 he had his biggest smash, “You’re Sixteen.” That 45 released on Liberty Records is now worth up to $50.00 with its picture sleeve. In 1964, the year he died by drowning, Magic Lamp records released Johnny Burnette’s last single “Less Than a Heart Beat.” With picture sleeve, a copy can fetch a $100.00 today.

One-hit-wonders made up a major portion of the hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Such is the case for a blue-eyed soul group out of Detroit known as the Shades of Blue. They reached #2 in 1966 with a song written by Edwin Starr, the man who gave us the classic “War (What is it Good For).”The song by the Shades of Blue is “Oh How Happy (You’ve Have Made Me).” Released on Impact Records, the 45 is worth no more than $10.00 but their 1966 album “Happiness Is” in stereo can sell for $100.00 today.

Following good success with top-20 hits like “Just Keep it Up” and “Hey Little Girl(in the High School Sweater),” Delectus Clark, better known as Dee Clark, had his biggest hit with “Raindrops,” climbing all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. A copy on Vee Jay can now sell for $40.00. Despite his success, Dee Clark died in poverty in Smyrna, Georgia. His first album was released in 1959 by Abner Records. A copy is worth up to $125.00 today.

The Supremes were not overnight sensations. On their first recordings it was Florence Ballard and not Diana Ross who sang lead. Things were going so poorly that Ross took a job in a Detroit department store. But when she was put at the front mike, the Supremes would go on to have 12 #1 hits beginning with “Where Did Our Love Go” and “Baby Love.” But the early releases with Florence Ballard as lead singer can be quite collectible. “Buttered Popcorn,” released on the Tamla label, is worth up to $250.00 and “I Want a Guy,” their first single on Motown, can get you $1,000.00 today.

In 1968 Capitol Records released “Lady Madonna,” their last 45 with the Beatles. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Paul McCartney said he wrote the song as a boogie woogie blues song ala Fats Domino. Ironically, Fats Domino would also record the song. The original 45 with its picture sleeve is worth up to 100.00. A promo copy, as seen here, can sell for $200.00 today.

At the age of 13, Thelonious Monk had won so many amateur award contests at the famed Apollo Theater that he was asked to stop entering the competitions. One of the architects of what is known as Be-Bop, Monk is one of the most influential musicians in the history of Jazz. He is one of only three musicians that ever appeared on the cover of Time magazine. And the U.S. Post Office honored him with a stamp. Among many of his highly acclaimed albums is “Monk’s Mood.” Released on Prestige Records in 1958, an original copy is worth up to $750.00 today. The 1954 10-inch album “Thelonious Monk Trio” on Prestige Records can now sell for $1,200.00.