0 Picture Sleeve Pop Snapshots

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 01/12/2026

Charles Szabla, in his 1998 book Goldmine 45 RPM Picture Sleeve Price Guide, detailed for record collectors "It's not just your vinyl that has value - picture sleeves are also in demand." The original title for this story spelled 'Snapshots' with a dollar sign: $napshots. For technical reasons, I had to change it. Why are these nostalgic 7 inch by 7 inch sleeves worth more than the vinyl records they protected? It's probably because of our never ending fascination with cultural artifacts, (nostalgia)! Take a photo of a performer, have a graphic artist tweak the visual scene, and a picture sleeve portrait is created to enhance the emotional music buying experience. Where can you get Picture Sleeves today? Grab them from record stores (with a purchase of course), if you can find a record store. Most of my almost 200 picture sleeves were included with purchased 45 RPM vinyl records. Some are promotional records supplied by record companies during my radio broadcasting days. The collection grew by accident. I just thought they were cool and worth saving! A handful of 5 or so were obtained from yard sales or community marts. I'm always looking for more! See the three examples below. Here is the 1998 monetary value VG (very good condition) and NM (near mint condition) as compiled by author Charles Szabla. The Beatles  "I Want To Hold Your Hand" / "I Saw Her Standing There"  VG $15.00, NM, $25.  A special NYC radio version with 6 WMCA Good Guy DJs on the back cover is VG $375, NM, $1500. 1964. James Brown "Hey America" VG $3.75, NM, $15.00, 1970. The Yardbirds "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" VG $6.25, NM $25, 1966. They don't make them anymore Why are some covers valued more than others? A lot of it has to do with the legacy of the artist. You might think the older the artists' era, the better. Any picture sleeve from Brook Benton or Marvin Gaye or Frank Sinatra, for some reason, is valued much higher than a James Brown sleeve. David Bowie's "Time" backed with "The Prettiest Star" sleeve from 1973 is valued in Szabla's book VG $150, NM $600. Visit my online collection at PictureSleevePop.com. You will see these three picture sleeves below, and more. Check out my earlier story Picture Sleeve Pop Features 45 RPM Record Memorabilia. Our Picture Sleeves Previous Post | Next Post

0 Leaders Are Readers

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 03/23/2025

In the golden year 1959, a visionary created a valuable resource for 'Black community building' and knowledge growth. Dawud Hakim founded Hakim's Bookstore & Gift Shop in West Philadelphia, PA. The store is the oldest Black-owned bookstore on the East Coast. Books weren't the only attraction in the early days. This residence of reading was a place for people to gather and brainstorm about ways to move the community into a positive self-sufficient future. Fast-forward to 2025. Hakim's survives under the leadership of Dawud Hakim's daughter Yvonne Blake.   For over sixty years, Hakim's in-store theme has specialized in African American history. In an effort to boost Black commerce, Philadelphia radio station WURD in association with their 'Wake up with WURD' morning host Solomon Jones, implemented a "Black Cash Mob" event at Hakim's on Saturday, March 22, 2025. The standing room only crowd not only enjoyed the commerce of stuffing their shopping bags to burst with books, but they experienced a two-hour live broadcast on WURD at the bookstore led by host Michael Coard. Among the books I picked up was Beyond Category, The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington by John Edward Hasse with foreword by Wynton Marsalis. Roots Hakim's has an inspiring bookmark for your manuscripts with the catch phrase "Leaders are Readers." There's a historic landmark plaque in front of the bookstore that was dedicated in 2023. In part the plaque says: "A civil rights and Black activism gathering space in the 1960s. It was surveilled by the FBI along with other Black bookstores." I'm at the "Black cash mob" event outside of Hakim's in this photo taken by Kwasa Mathis of WURD. Kingsley at Hakim's, located at 210 South 52nd Street, Philadelphia, PA.   Previous Post | Next Post

0 Black History Month Book Signing at L'Ouverture Books

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 02/14/2024

Three fans join me (Kingsley H. Smith), among other attendees, at L'Ouverture Books in Pleasantville, New Jersey for a book signing on February 10, 2024. Discover my complete story, relevant to students or professionals who are learning about digital media, announcing, audio production, podcasting, content management, and life. African Americans in radio broadcasting is a sub theme discussed as the story develops. The important concept of specializing in a niche without abandoning broader opportunities to grow is detailed. It's in Powerhouse Radio: Rough Roads, Radiance, and Rebirth. eBook, audiobook, and paperback available at Amazon (above link) and at other online retailers. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Picture Sleeve Pop Memorabilia

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/19/2022

What are picture sleeves? They are physical paper covers that protect 45 RPM singles. Collectors dig deep to get their hands on these artistic sleeves. I've digitized my entire collection of picture sleeves to share with you. The Picture Sleeve Pop picture parade lives at PictureSleevePop.com. There are four sections to the website: Classic Pop Classic Rock Classic Soul Classic Christmas We add new sleeves as our collection grows. The individual sleeves have been downloaded thousands of times. Grab one for your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop as wallpaper. In my library I have both the sleeves and the songs that go inside! Here are two new ones waiting to be added to the collection. What is the problem with this one: Yikes. It's the "B" side of the sleeve. The "A" side is super boring with just the artist name and the featured song "Goldmine" in relatively small text. There is no image at all. RCA made a big mistake by not putting "The Pointer Sisters" name on the "B" side too. They didn't forget to hype the producer. This is bad 1986 marketing (when the song was released) but I understand. Possibly it was an attempt to broaden the audience for the group without showing their picture on the front of the sleeve. "Goldmine" is a nice pop song with a funky groove. Too bad "Goldmine" was a flop. On this one... You bet their name is on the "A" and "B" side of this picture sleeve! The Beatles. See some of your favorites at PictureSleevePop.com. Previous Post | Next Post

0 The Mothership Lands In Washington DC at NMAAHC

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/05/2017

Parliaments, Parliament, and Parliament / Funkadelic. All three names correctly identify phases of Mr. "Atomic Dog" George Clinton's musical career. A career that would grow extraordinarily big carrying along the baggage of a sizable supporting cast of characters. After seeing MC Hammer's show at Madison Square Garden in New York City in the early 1990's, I thought the Hammer-time on-stage posse was bloated but he couldn't touch this: the scale of Clinton's P-Funk funkateers. According to author Marc Taylor in A Touch of Classic Soul 2, The Late 1970s "It was costing George Clinton $150,000 a week to keep his 88-man entourage of singers, musicians, and crew on the road." I highly recommend Taylor's history of P-Funk for more insider revelations.  Here's one non-human member of the Parliament / Funkadelic show that's found a home in The National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC. The Mothership. I took both of these photos below during a visit to the museum in February. Clinton's Mothership from Mothership Connection fame is flanked by effigies of George on the left, and Bootsy Collins on the right. Long live the sound of Parliament / Funkadelic. Can you handle hearing George Clinton & His Gangsters of Love sing a Barry White song (featuring Clinton and El DeBarge) in our review of his 2008 album?   Previous Post | Next Post

0 B.B. King and Peter Frampton

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 08/15/2013

B.B. King and Peter Frampton perform "The Thrill is Gone" Saturday, August 10, 2013 in Atlantic City, NJ. Both appeared in separate sets. Frampton performed with his Guitar Circus group. Below is the B.B. King band at the same show. 2022 Update: As a bonus, here is Peter Frampton playing 3 years later (February 26, 2016) at a private performance I attended in Washington, DC. All photos by Kingsley H. Smith. Regarding the 2013 B.B. King show, I was lucky enough to finally see him  perform live. B.B. passed away on May 14, 2015. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Stephanie Mills In The House

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 09/19/2012

Stephanie Mills, Kingsley H. Smith (King from Powerhouse Radio), and Diane Prior. It's 1980, we are in the studio of WAYV-FM, Atlantic City, NJ. Diane, our evening dj, went on to WKTU-FM in New York City. I eventually sailed on to 4 different FM stations in Philadelphia, PA and then to Washington, DC for broadcast network executive duties. Photo by Snookie Jones. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Whitney Houston So Emotional

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 06/20/2012

From Newark, New Jersey to Beverly Hills. Whitney Houston: born August 9, 1963 in Newark. Died: February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills. Celebrate her life with this "So Emotional" wallpaper from our sister website Picture Sleeve Pop. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Sly Stone's July 4 Flag Day

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 07/02/2010

July 4th flag day with Sly & the Family Stone from their album There's A Riot Goin' On. Have a safe one! Previous Post | Next Post

0 Bobby Womack the Poet

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• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/29/2007

Bobby Womack's 1981 classic soul album, The Poet, was #1 on the R&B album chart for 5 weeks. The legendary track, "If You Think You're Lonely Now," is one of the album's highlights. If you have a copy of this rare album, hold on to it. Previous Post | Next Post