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John Cougar Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. You can quibble about some of those who have been added but there’s no question that Mellencamp belongs there. With 40 million records sold and 13 Grammy Awards, he is best known for hits like “Jack and Diane” and “Hurt So Good.” In 1983 Main Man Records released the 12 inch picture disc of “Kid Inside.” A copy can get you $100.00 today.

Martha and the Vandellas placed 26 singles on the charts. Among the biggest are “Nowhere to Run” and “Dancing in the Street.” Their first big hit came in 1963 with “(Love is Like a) Heat Wave.” It was not only a million-seller but a Grammy Award nominee, their only one. A copy of the single is worth up to $30.00. It’s also listed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” A mono copy of the “Heat Wave” album, released on Gordy Records in 1963, can get you $200.00 today. Make it $400.00 for a stereo version.

In 1964, the Beatles hit America like a tornado. Record labels were rushing to get the rights to the Fab Four, so much so that the boys recorded for Vee-Jay, Swan, Tollie, and M-G-M records before Capitol Records finally landed the golden goose. Capitol quickly released a barrage of Beatles records including the EP, “Four by the Beatles.” A copy from 1964 can get you $500.00 today.

In the film, “Animal Crackers,” comedian Groucho Marx played the character known as Captain Spaulding. The theme song from the movie, “Hooray for Captain Spaulding,” was forever associated with Groucho. It was also used as the theme for his TV show, “You Bet Your Life.” In 1952, Decca Records released the 10-inch album, “Hooray for Captain Spaulding.” A copy can get you $150.00 today.

Here are two more examples of the Northern Soul records that have collectors running to the bank. In 1967, MB Records released the 45, “Say Something Nice to Me” by Bobby Kline. A copy is worth up to $2,500.00. That same year Solid Hit Records issued the Pat Lewis single ,“No one to Love.” An original version can get you $3,000.00 today. These are records you should know about.

“Records you should know about” are records that most people have never heard by recording artists most people have never heard of BUT can be worth a LOT of money. Mighty John’s “Records You Should Know About” appraisal guide ($15.95) lists thousands of them, each worth at least up to $500.00 or more. Most are worth up to $1,000.00 or more. The “Records You Should Know About” appraisal guide is on a flash drive in Microsoft Word. Click on “Records You Should Know About” in the yellow strip above for more free samples.

“American Pie” by Don McLean is one of the best known super hits in the history of Rock and Roll. The song is a tribute to the great rockers of the 50’s and a lament of lost innocence that followed. The multi-million seller album, released by United Artists in 1971, is worth no more than $30.00, but in 1977 United Artists issued a 12 inch 45 of “American Pie,” the full length version. It was released as a tribute to Elvis Presley and Groucho Marx both of whom had just passed away. A copy can get you $500.00 today.

There were certainly not as many solo female artists in the early Rock N Roll era as there were male singers. Connie Francis and Brenda Lee were among the most popular. But some of the lesser-known ladies can be collectible like Diane Maxwell. In 1959 Challenge Records released her album, “Almost Seventeen.” A copy is worth up to $100.00. That same year Felsted Records issued, “That Certain Boy” by Kathy Linden who scored big the previous year with “Goodbye, Jimmy, Goodbye.” Her album can get you $200.00 today.

The 1969 debut album for MC5 was “Kick out the Jams.”  The band was together for no more than three years but the impression they left had a deep affect on the hard rock groups that followed. True to their Detroit roots, the band took the name MC5, which stands for Motor City Five. Their “Kick out the Jams” album was released by Electra Records. There was both a censored and uncensored version. The “clean” copy is no more than $30 but the version with the X-rated title track can get you $600.00 today.

Elvis fans know Barbara McNair as one of the nuns in the Elvis/Mary Tyler Moore movie, “Change of Habit.” But she was so much more than that. Her biggest hits included “Bobby” in 1958 and “You’re Gonna Love Me Baby” in 1965. She did it all, from appearing nude in Playboy to joining Bob Hope on his U.S.O. tours in Vietnam and then on to the Broadway stage. In 1966 Motown released the Barbara McNair album, “Here I Am.” A copy is worth up to $100.00 today. In 1969 Motown issued, “The Real Barbara McNair.” That, too, can sell for $100.00.

Blues records have been around for almost 100 years and in most cases blues means green when it comes to monetary value. In 1928 Paramount Records released “Mississippi Jail House Groan” by Rube Lacy. A copy is now worth up to $2,500.00. In 1937 Vocalion Records released “Milkcow’s Calf Blues” by the legendary Robert Johnson. A copy can get you $10,000.00 today.These both fall into a category known as “Pre-war Blues.” Blues records that came out prior to World War ll can be very valuable.