Art Rupe, the creator of Specialty Records, died at the age of 104, know his obituary and cause of death
He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
Art Rupe Cause Of Death, Obituary, Age, Biography, Health News And Net Worth
Art Rupe, the creator of Specialty Records, died at the age of 104. Sam Cooke and Little Richard got their start because of thisย music executive and record producer.
Rupe was one of the great commercial juggernauts of the golden age of recorded music and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. On Friday, April 15th, he passed away at his home in Santa Barbara, California.
The news of his death has also gone viral on the internet. Letโs find out more about him?
It is with great sadness I report the passing at 6:30 this morning of my friend and one of the great men I've known, Art Rupe, founder of Specialty Records and who discovered Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Lloyd Price and other great artists. RIP my friend. pic.twitter.com/fVDPHx06It
— Billy Vera (@billybeater) April 15, 2022
RIP Art Rupe pic.twitter.com/RNcpzq1ilP
— Sunday Jazz Lounge (@jazz_sunday) April 16, 2022
Art Rupe Obituary & Deathย Cause https://t.co/vX4DHAxhon
— XYZ Daily News (@XYZDailyNews) April 18, 2022
Who Is Art Rupe?
Arthur Newton Rupe was a record producer and music executive from the United States of America. In 1946, he started Specialty Records in Los Angeles, which is noted for its recordings of rhythm and blues, blues, gospel, and early rock & roll music.
Rupe was born on September 5, 1917, in the Pittsburgh neighbourhood of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, to a working-class Jewish family. He grew raised in McKeesport, a neighbouring suburb. Initially, his name was Arthur Goldberg, but in later life, he changed his name.
His father was an immigrant from Galicia who worked in a factory, and his mother was a housewife from Pittsburgh.
He went to Virginia Tech, Miami University, and the University of California, Los Angeles for his education. He changed his surname from Goldberg to Rupe, which was an ancestral name, along the road.
In addition to his daughter from the second of his three marriages, to Lee Apostoleris, which ended in divorce Rupe is survived by a granddaughter; a step-grandson; and two step-great-granddaughters. His third wife, Dorothy Rupe and three siblings died before him.
His Career
Rupe served on an engineering team testing ships on Terminal Island in Los Angeles during WWII. He stayed in the city after the war ended, first attempting to get into the film industry, and then opting to pursue a career as a record producer.
His love for blues, gospel, and R&B music led him to co-found Juke Box Records with Ben Siegert in 1944, and the Sepia Tones’ aptly-named ‘Boogie No. 1’ became the label’s first regional hit.
Rupe and Siegert split up after the war, leaving Art to create Speciality Records, which went on to become one of America’s most successful independent record labels during the next 15 years or so.
Little Richard, whose first hit for Speciality Records was the iconic 1955 single ‘Tutti Frutti,’ was the label’s most successful signee. ‘Long Tall Sally,’ ‘Good Golly Miss Molly,’ and ‘Rip it Up’ were also published on Speciality. In the mid-1950s, Sam Cooke recorded various tunes for the label, including his doo-wop classic ‘You Send Me.’
Death Cause Of Art Rupe
Heartfelt condolences are pouring in from all over the internet right now. All of his followers and admirers were shocked to learn of his death. His family is heartbroken. His cause of death is said to be due to natural reasons with him suffering from dwindling health owing to his age.
His net worth stood at $5 million.
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