Specialty Records facts for kids
Specialty Records was an American record label based in Los Angeles. It started in 1946 as Juke Box Records. Later, its owner, Art Rupe, renamed it Specialty Records after separating from some business partners.
Specialty Records became famous for recording different types of music. These included rhythm and blues, blues, gospel, and early rock and roll. The company also had two music publishing businesses called Venice Music and Greenwich Music.
During the 1960s, Specialty Records stopped making new recordings. They only sold their older records. Then, in 1968, people became very interested in early rock and roll music again. Because of this, Art Rupe restarted the label. He began to release many of the old songs once more.
The Man Behind the Music
Art Rupe was known for being very fair in the music business. He made sure his musicians were paid well. He also paid them fairly for their recordings. Rupe never paid radio stations to play his records. This was a common practice at the time.
Rupe gave his musicians a lot of freedom. This meant they could be very creative. Because of this, Specialty Records released some of the most exciting rhythm and blues music of that era.
What Happened to Specialty Records?
In 1991, the Specialty Records label was sold. It was bought by the Concord Music Group. Since then, Concord Music Group has re-released many albums. These albums feature the original artists who recorded with Specialty Records.
Famous Artists
Specialty Records helped many artists become well-known. Here are a few:
- Sam Cooke (He recorded with the Soul Stirrers and had some pop songs before becoming a huge star.)
- John Lee Hooker
- Little Richard
- Roy Milton (His song "R.M. Blues" was the first song to sell over a million copies in the African-American music market.)
See also
In Spanish: Specialty Records para niños
