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In 1964 the Beach Boys hit the top-10 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “When I Grow Up (To Be a Man).” A regular black vinyl copy is worth up to $30.00 but a red vinyl copy, as seen here, can sell for $3,500.00 today.

There are so many Beatles records that are worth money that we could feature one a day for an entire year. However, today we are looking at their 1964 number one hit, “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Using the same picture that came with the single, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” Capitol Records created one of their most valuable picture sleeves. The “I Want to Hold Your Hand” picture sleeve is worth up to $125.00 but the “Can’t Buy Me Love” picture sleeve can get you $800.00 today.

Gene Vincent was Capitol Records’ Elvis. He was the poster boy for Rock N Roll rebellion. Along with his backup band, the Blue Caps, (named after President Eisenhower’s blue golf cap) Gene Vincent’s debut smash was the classic. “Be-Bop-A-Lula,” a 45 that can now fetch $40.00. Nothing exemplified pure Rockabilly excitement like the music of Gene Vincent with hits such as “Blue Jean Bop” and “Lotta Lovin.” In 1957, Capitol Records released the album, “Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps.” A copy can get you $300.00 today.

Davie Allan & the Arrows did a lot of soundtrack instrumentals for the biker and rebellious teen movies of the 1960’s such as “Skaterdater,” “Thunder Bay,” “Born Losers,” and the most famous of all, “The Wild Angels,” which can now sell for $40.00. However, the most valuable would be “Wild in the Streets.” Released on Tower Records in 1968, its worth up to $150.00 today. “The Wild Angels” and “Wild in the Streets” albums are just two of the 10,000 soundtracks listed on our Soundtracks Guide, covering movies, TV shows, and Broadway shows. It’s available on a flash drive in the left hand column.

On June 30, 1957 Buddy Holly is set to record a song about his niece, Cindy Lou. However, Jerry Allison, the drummer for Buddy Holly’s band, the Crickets, convinces Buddy to change the title to his girlfriend’s name, the girl Jerry Allison would later marry, “Peggy Sue” Gerron. The 45 of “Peggy Sue” on Coral Records can fetch $40.00 today but the 78 version is now worth up to $400.00.

Other than Chubby Checker, no one had more success with the Twist than Joey Dee and the Starliters. When they became the house band at New York’s Peppermint Lounge it was pure pandemonium, attracting celebrities from John Wayne to Jackie Kennedy. In 1962, the “Peppermint Twist” quickly hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the band’s biggest hit but worth no more than $20.00. However, in 1958, Joey Dee and the Starliters recorded, “Lorraine” for Little Records. An original copy can sell for $1,000.00 today

As a boy, Johnny Guitar Watson promised his grandfather he wouldn’t play “the devil’s music.” Oops! He began touring with Larry Williams of “Boney Maronie” fame. He also played with Little Richard and Frank Zappa. With his Fender Stratocaster, he brought Funk to a new level in the 1970’s. The “Johnny Guitar Watson album,” released on King Records in 1963, can get you $800.00 today.

It all started for Bobby Darin in 1958 with the million-seller, “Splish Splash,” a song Darin said he wrote in less than 15 minutes. The list of hits that followed seems endless with such classics as “Dream Lover,” “Beyond the Sea” and the Grammy Award winner, “Mack the Knife.” His follow up to “Splish Splash” was the 1959 top-10 hit, “Queen of the Hop.” The single, released on ATCO Records can sell for $25.00 but the “Queen of the Hop” EP is worth up to $175.00 today.

On July 21, 1968 on a live national British TV show called “Dee Time,” Jane Asher dumped boyfriend Paul McCartney by saying, “It’s finished.” McCartney is watching the show at a friend’s house. He is shocked. Among the hits he wrote for the Beatles about his relationship with Jane Asher is “We Can Work it Out.” A 1966 copy on an orange and yellow Capitol Records label can now fetch $40.00 but on Capitol’s Starline Series from 1969 on a red and white label the value jumps up to $3,000.00.

Carole King and husband Gerry Goffin wrote a song that she later regretted, saying she was sorry she ever had anything to do with it. That song was “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss).” It was recorded by the Crystals in 1962. Having to do with spousal abuse, the record received little airplay. Released on Phil Spector’s Philles record label, a copy with a light blue label is worth up to $75.00 but a copy with an orange label can sell for $500.00 today.