Who was Art Rupe? Tributes pour in as Specialty Records founder passes away at 104 

Music executive Art Rupe passed away at the age of 104 (Image via Rock Hall.Twitter and Morgan Howell/Twitter)

Renowned music executive Art Rupe reportedly passed away at the age of 104. His organization, the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation, confirmed the news of his demise.

Rupe took his last breath on April 15 at Santa Barbara, California. No immediate cause of his death was revealed to the public at writing.

The record mogul is best remembered as the founder of Specialty Records, a label that helped shape the careers of many veteran artists at the beginning of the rock ’n roll era. Rupe is survived by his daughter, Beverly Rupe Schwarz, and granddaughter, Madeline Kahan.

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A look back into the life of Art Rupe

Art Rupe, aka Arthur Newton Rupe, was a renowned American record producer and music executive, best known as the founder of Speciality Records.

He was born on September 5, 1917, in Greensburgh, Pennsylvania. Rupe grew up in a Jewish family and often followed the music at his local Baptist church.

The musician graduated from Virginia Tech college and attended Miami University and UCLA for higher studies. He started working at a shipbuilding company in Los Angeles during World War II & eventually decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

Rupe launched Juke Box Records alongside Ben Siegert in 1944 and established Specialty Records in 1946, after parting ways with his business partner. The record label soon collaborated with artists like Roy Milton, Percy Mayfield, and Jimmy Liggins and garnered significant recognition in the gospel scene.

The record producer also started working with gospel groups and artists like Soul Stirrers, Swan Silvertones, Pilgrim Travelers, Alex Bradford, Dorothy Love Coates and Sister Wynona Carr.

Over the years, Rupe started working with other prominent artists under his record label, including Little Richards, Larry Williams, Lloyd Price, Guitar Slim, Don and Dewey, among others.

In addition to his successful music career, Rupe also invested in the oil and gas industry. His success in the field allowed him to establish the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation, a philanthropy organization based in Santa Barbara.

Following several years of success, Rupe sold Specialty to Fantasy Records in 1991. The music executive was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2007. He was also awarded the Ahmet Ertegun Award by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 alongside former Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman.

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Twitter mourns the loss of Art Rupe

Several people poured in their heartfelt tributes for the loss of Art Rupe (Image via Craft Recordings/Michael Ochs Archive/Twitter)

As the founder of Specialty Records, Art Rupe was undoubtedly one of the early rock ’n roll industry pioneers. His record label also left a prominent mark on the rhythm and blues, blues and gospel industry.

Following the news of his demise, several people took to Twitter to mourn the loss of the veteran recording mogul:

As tributes continue to pour in online, Rupe will certainly be missed by family, friends, colleagues and admirers. However, his legacy will be cherished by contemporaries and future generations alike.