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Lavern Baker was one of the most popular and successful female singers of the early Rock N Roll era. Her string of hits began in 1955 with “Tweedle Dee.” A year later she hit big again with “Jim Dandy.” In 1958, she was on the charts once more with “I Cried a Tear.” In 1991, Lavern Baker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her first album was released by Atlantic Records in 1957. Simply called “Lavern,” a copy with a red label is worth up to $50.00 but a copy with a black label can sell for $700.00 today.

Van Morrison is best known for the 1967 hit single, “Brown Eyed Girl.” The 45 on Bang Records is worth up to $20.00. However, his album, “Astral Week,”released by Warner Brothers Records, is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Its poetic complexity was praised by critics. However, the album had little commercial success. An original copy from 1968 can sell for up to $500.00 today. (Find the values for over a million records in our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column)

The Platters was without a doubt the most prolific and successful Doo Wop group of the early Rock and Roll era. The hits started in 1955 with “Only You.” That was followed by more classics like “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” But it’s one of the Platters’ earliest releases that is among their most collectible. In 1954, Federal Records issued the Platters single “I Need You All the Time.” An original copy, as seen here, can sell for $750.00 today.

In 1969, Pink Floyd provided the soundtrack music for the movie, “More.” This was the first album on which founding band member Syd Barrett did not appear. “More” is a film that deals with heroin addiction along with other drugs like LSD. The album by Pink Floyd, released on Tower Records, is worth up to $250.00 today. “More” is just one of the 10,000 soundtracks listed on our Soundtracks Guide, covering movies, TV shows, and Broadway shows. It’s available in the left hand column.

In the mid-1960’s, Wilson Pickett was the soul of Soul music with hits such as “In the Midnight Hour” and “Mustang Sally.” In 1991, he was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Pickett first tasted success as a member of the Falcons who hit big in 1959 with “You’re So Fine.” His big hits as a solo artist on Atlantic records are worth no more than $20.00. The promo copy of “Mustang Sally,” as seen here, can fetch $40.00 but “You’re So Fine,” first issued on Flick Records, can sell for $400.00 today.(Find the values for over a million records in our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column. PLUS a free list of record buyers in your area)

After starring in several beach movies with Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello recorded a Surf album in 1965. Among the songs are Beach Boys covers like “Surfin’,” “Surfin’ Safari,” and “Surfin’ U.S.A.” There are also Jan & Dean covers of “Ride the Wild Surf” and “Sidewalk Surfin’.” The album would also mark the end of Annette’s association with Disney. Released on Disney’s subsidiary label, Buena Vista, “Annette Sings Golden Surfer Hits” is worth up to $150.00 today.

Among the many one-hit wonders of the early Rock N Roll era was Phil Phillips. His giant hit “Sea of Love” reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959 and spent 3 months on the Billboard top-40. The song was used as the theme for the 1989 Al Pacino movie, “Sea of Love.” Most copies of the single were sold on Mercury records in 1959 and worth up to $40.00. However, the original release was on the Khoury’s record label and worth up to $750.00 today. Both versions are shown here.

It seems like every super star and super group recorded a Christmas song and album. The Supremes were no exception. In 1965, Motown released the album, “Merry Christmas,” by the Supremes. This was also their first album where original Supremes members Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard did not appear. A single from the album, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me,” is worth no more than $20.00 but the “Merry Christmas” album can get you $150.00 today.

In 1958, after a very successful career at Sun records, Carl Perkins, who gave Rock N Roll one of its all-time classics with “Blue Suede Shoes,” jumped to Columbia Records where his friend Johnny Cash would soon follow. Carl Perkins’ first album for Columbia was “Whole Lotta Shakin” where he sings hits made famous by Elvis, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Hank Williams, and Jerry Lee Lewis. An original copy of the album is worth up to $600.00 today.

The Beach Boys went top-10 in 1964 with their hit, “When I Grow Up( To Be a Man.)” Writer, Brian Wilson has been quoted as saying, “When I was younger, I used to worry about turning into an old square over the years. I don’t think I will now, and that is what inspired ‘When I Grow Up’. A copy of the 45 on Capitol Records is worth up to $30.00. The picture sleeve is valued up to $50.00. Find a red vinyl copy and $3,000.00 could be yours.

Find the values for every record by the Beach Boys in our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column.)