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Best known for co-hosting “Hee Haw” with Buck Owens, Roy Clark is recognized as one of the best guitarist and banjo pickers in the music business. Although he had hits like “Tips of my Fingers” and “Yesterday When I was Young,” his most valuable 45 is his Rockabilly single called “Please Mr. Mayor (Don’t Outlaw Rock and Roll)” It was released on Debbie Records in 1958. An original copy is worth up to $250.00. His biggest hit, “Tips of My Fingers” with “Spooky Movies” on the flip side can fetch $40.00.

The Everly Brothers are one of the most successful duos in the history of Rock and Roll. Among their early hits is “Wake up Little Susie.” It’s ironic that these wholesome singers had their #1 hit banned in Boston. The fact that a boy and a girl would fall asleep together at the movies, as they did in the song, was too much to tolerate. Oh, how times have changed. The 45, released on Cadence Records in 1957, is worth up to $25.00 while the picture sleeve by itself can sell for $125.00 today.

Chicago took a lead from Blood, Sweat & Tears by adding a horn section to their band. Among their biggest hits are “Saturday in the Park” and “Colour My World.” But in 1979, Chicago detoured from their Jazz and Rock style and were blasted by the critics for “going disco” with the single “Street Player.” However, the 45 on Columbia Records is worth up to $100.00 today.

Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers is one of the best-known Doo Wop groups from the early days of Rock and Roll with hits like “Why Do Fools Fall in Love.” Frankie Lymon was as popular with teenage girls as any other of the teen idols of the day. However, he was all but forgotten by the time he was 26. Due to drugs and hard living, he died penniless. The “Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon” album, released on Gee Records in 1957, can sell for $300.00 today. In 1956, Gee Records released the E,P “The Teenagers Go Rock’n,” using the same cover picture. That can fetch $500.00.

Husband and wife, the Captain and Tennille, sold over two million records in 1975 with “Love Will Keep Us Together.” Two years earlier, Butterscotch Castle Records released “The Way I Want to Touch You.” It was a regional hit but after the success of “Love Will Keep Us Together,” it was re-released on A&M Records and became a national hit. The A&M version is worth no more than $5.00 but the first issue on Butterscotch Castle is worth up to $100.00 today.  Both versions are shown here.

Rolling Stone magazine ranks “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones as the second greatest song of all time. Released on London Records in 1965, it became the Stones’ first #1 hit in the U.S. In Britain, the lyrics were considered too suggestive and initially got very little airplay. The 45, with picture sleeve, can sell for $250.00 today.

The Coasters were the clown princes of Rock and Roll with classics like “Charlie Brown,” “Yakety Yak,” and “Along Came Jones.” In 1958, ATCO Records released the EP “Rock and Roll with the Coasters,” which included their hits singles, “Searchin’” and “Young Blood.” A copy can sell for $300.00. Although their biggest hits came in the 1950’s, their most valuable 45 was released on ATCO in 1965. “Crazy Baby” can also get you $300.00 today.

Dave Clark formed his group to raise funds to send his soccer team, the Tottenham Hotspurs, to a match in Holland. Little did he know that his “soccer” band would rival the Beatles and go on to have 17 top-40 hits like “Can’t You See That’s She’s Mine,” now valued up to $50.00 with its picture sleeve. Their album “The Dave Clark Five Return,” released on Epic Records in 1964, is worth up to $100.00 today.

“He’s So Fine” by the Chiffons was #1 for 4 weeks in the spring of 1963. However, it became even a bigger part of Rock and Roll history because George Harrison was found to have plagiarized the melody with his 1970 hit, “My Sweet Lord.”  In a piece of irony, the Chiffons recorded “My Sweet Lord” in 1975. The Chiffons’ single of “He’s So Fine,” released on Laurie Records, is worth up to $40.00 while the “He’s So Fine” album is up to $100.00 today.

Sammy Hagar had been lead singer for Montrose but his fame really took off when he replaced David Lee Roth as lead singer for Van Halen. However, a year earlier in 1984, he scored big on his own with the classic rocker, “I Can’t Drive 55,” a protest song to the lowering of the speed limit. A red vinyl copy of the 12 inch single, as shown here, is worth up to $200.00 today.

(Find the values for every record by over 75,000 recording artists in our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column.)

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