Arthur Goldberg was born on September 5th 1917 in Greensburg, in the state of Pennsylvania. He became aware of the power of Black music from listening to the music emerging from a local Baptist church near his home. In 1939, he moved to California to study at the UCLA, where he completed his degree before working as a member of an engineering team during World War ll, checking liberty ships. When the war ended, he decided to try to get a job in the film industry. He changed his name to Art Rupe around this time, but it didn’t open any doors. So, he switched to the music industry and the memories of that Black church music must have inspired him.
Source: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
His first record company involvement was with Atlas Records. Rupe invested in the company, becoming a business partner of Bob Scherman in 1944. Very quickly, it became apparent that his decision was not a good one. Atlas soon collapsed and Rupe lost his money.
The solution was to set up his own company, Juke Box Records, still in 1944, with the aim of producing discs for the Juke Box industry, with the focus on Blues and Gospel music. He started by studying how a record became successful. He took a strategic approach, spending two hundred dollars on Race Records to study the structure and appeal of hit records. Later, he applied this knowledge in his own company, signing and producing artists with raw, energetic sounds. The group he found first was the Sepia Tones and their recording of “Boogie #1” was the first release on the Juke Box label. It sold around seventy thousand copies, which enabled Rupe to sign the Blues Woman (Marion Abernathy) and the Blues Man (Roosevelt Sykes), and then Roy Milton and His Solid Senders. The company had its first hits in 1946 courtesy of the Blues Woman (“Voo-it! Voo-it!”) and Roy Milton (“R.M. Blues”).
To enable the company to grow more quickly, he brought in Al Middleman as a partner. It was another mistake! Middleman already owned another label, Sterling Records, in partnership with Eli Oberstein, and Oberstein was a talent scout for Victor Records. Rupe felt that his successful artists would be lured away, so took the drastic step of ending the partnership and selling all his shares to Middleman. He walked away with a handful of masters that had been recorded before Middleman had joined him.
His third attempt at building a successful record company was Specialty, set up in 1945, and this time he got it right! Jules Bihari, co-owner of Modern Records, gave him encouragement. Rupe set up Venice Music to publish BMI material, and Greenwich Music to publish ASCAP material.
Rupe clearly saw the commercial potential in Black music and actively promoted Black artists to broader audiences. Specialty’s records were played on both Black and White radio stations, helping to integrate the music industry. He ran Specialty Records as a lean, efficient operation, focusing on quality over quantity. He preferred short, focused recording sessions to get the best out of his artists. And he had some luck too, finding some outstanding artists to help him realise his dream. He started the roster by handing a contract to Roy Milton, who had left Juke Box Records, and then swiftly added Joe Lutcher and Jimmy Liggins.
Another important aspect of the label’s success was Rupe’s choice of “backroom” staff. He hired A&R men Robert “Bumps” Blackwell and Dave Bartholomew, he worked with freelance producer Maxwell Davis, and also brought in Salvatore Phillip Bono, otherwise known as Sonny Bono, as a songwriter. Bono also worked on promoting the company’s output and as a studio technician. He helped bridge the label’s R&B roots and emerging Pop sounds. His experience also helped him to develop his skills and eventually led to his successful career as part of the duo Sonny & Cher.
In 1948, Rupe added a Gospel group, the Pilgrim Travelers, to the roster, followed by the Soul-Stirrers, the Swan Silvertones, the Gospel Harmonettes and several solo Gospel singers.
Joe Liggins then came to Specialty in 1949, when Exclusive Records was closed. He immediately brought chart success to his new label. “”Rag Mop” climbed to number four and then, the following year, “Pink Champagne” climbed to number one. It was a first for Specialty.
Joe Liggins
Ace Records UK Specialty Compilation (used with permission)
Also in 1950, Percy Mayfield was added to the roster. Rupe was keen to sign Mayfield, following the latter’s success with “Two Years of Torture” on the Swing Time label in 1947. Maxwell Davis had played saxophone on that recording and may have influenced Rupe’s decision. In any event, they both had good taste; Mayfield’s first single for Specialty, “Please Send Me Someone to Love”, went to number one on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, and was followed up by six more releases that made the top ten. Sadly, Mayfield was badly injured in a road accident in 1952. He continued to write songs, however, and, after leaving Specialty, he eventually found his way back to a recording studio.
Jasmine Records Double CD
In 1951, Rupe decided to introduce the new 45rpm format vinyl singles that RCA had pioneered in 1949. Even though this probably meant that many of Specialty’s usual customers would need to buy a new player, Rupe could see that 45s would soon become the industry standard. He wanted to be in the vanguard.
That same year Rupe made his first visit to New Orleans in search of talent. He had watched as Imperial boss Lew Chudd founded Imperial in 1949 and then signed Fats Domino, whose first sessions had yielded “The Fat Man”, which probably sold over a million copies. The recordings had taken place at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in New Orleans under the supervision of bandleader and producer Dave Bartholomew. Unbelievably, New Orleans, a musical giant of a city, had no significant recording companies. It was an opportunity not to be missed. Rupe found and signed Lloyd Price. Recordings were arranged at Cosimo Matassa’s studio following the model used by Lew Chudd. The result was “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”.
Lloyd Price then suggested to a friend that he should send a demo tape to Rupe. The friend was Richard Penniman, and Rupe signed him too. His stage name was Little Richard and his first recording for Specialty was “Tutti Frutti”. It sold a million copies! Little Richard was soon Specialty’s number one act. And the New Orleans connection also brought Guitar Slim and Larry Williams to the label. Guitar Slim gained fame with his million-selling hit “The Things That I Used to Do”, which was produced by Ray Charles and released in 1954 by Specialty. When Little Richard left Specialty, Larry Williams was signed as a replacement. Between 1957 and 1959, he had a series of hits with his own compositions “Bony Moronie“, “Short Fat Fannie“, “Slow Down“, “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” (1958), “Bad Boy” and “She Said Yeah” (1959). The final entry into the top ten of the Billboard R&B Singles Chart came in 1958 with Little Richard’s “Good Golly Miss Molly”, which had been recorded in 1956.
For a few more years Specialty continued to be fairly successful, but the company was in decline. Larry Williams and Sam Cooke left, and other companies emerged to steal the limelight. Rupe started to look elsewhere for opportunities to make money and began investing in the oil and gas industries. He still held on to the Specialty masters, until selling the company to Fantasy Records in 1991. Rupe died at his home in Santa Barbara, California, in 2022. He was 104 years old.
In 1998, Ace Records (UK) released a double CD “The Story of Specialty Records”. It covers the musical output of the label but also incudes Art Rupe’s recollections of the memorable years during which Specialty helped to take Race Records into the new era of R&B and Rock & Roll.
Ace Records (UK) Double CD (1998)
Selected Specialty Artists in Los Angeles
Camille Howard was an African American multi-talented artist, who had a remarkable and successful career with Specialty Records. She first gained prominence as the pianist for Roy Milton’s band, The Solid Senders, in the 1940s. Her brilliant performances were featured on many of Milton’s hits, including “R.M. Blues”, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Race Records Singles Chart in 1946. As a solo artist signed to Specialty Records, Camille Howard enjoyed considerable success with several hit singles. Notable tracks include “Thrill Me” (1947), which climbed to number five on the Billboard Race Records Singles Chart, and “X-Temporaneous Boogie” (1948), which achieved the number seven position on the same chart.
Camille Howard
Her energetic and distinctive piano style, combined with her vocal talents, made her a significant figure in the R&B genre during her time with Specialty Records. she was definitely one of the most successful female acts on the label.
Joe Liggins
Joe Liggins’ biggest hit on Specialty Records was “Pink Champagne.” This song was released in 1950 and became a major success, reaching number one on the Billboard R&B Singles Charts and staying there for 13 weeks. It was one of the biggest R&B hits of the year and secured Joe Liggins’ place in music history.
Jimmy Liggins was the brother of Joe Liggins. He also had a notable career at Specialty Records, where he recorded several influential R&B tracks. He joined Specialty Records in the late 1940s and continued to record with them until the mid-1950s. Some of his notable tracks during this period include:”I Can’t Stop It” (1947), “Cadillac Boogie” (1948), “Teardrop Blues” (1948), and “Move Out Baby” (1948).
Jimmy Liggins
Jimmy Liggins’ music was characterized by its energetic and raw style, which set him apart from his brother Joe Liggins who had a more polished sound. His recordings at Specialty Records contributed to the development of early Rock & Roll and R&B. Jimmy Liggins did not have a number one single on the Billboard Race Records or R&B charts, but he released several popular tracks that had a significant impact on the R&B scene, such as “Cadillac Boogie” and “Drunk” (1953).
Percy Mayfield, often referred to as the “Poet of the Blues”, had a significant impact on the music industry, particularly during his time with Specialty Records. He was known for his smooth, smoky voice and his ability to craft deeply emotional and introspective lyrics.
Percy Mayfield
The biggest hit of Mayfield’s career was “Please Send Me Someone to Love”, which he recorded in 1950 for Specialty Records. The song reached number one on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and has become an R&B standard. It has been covered by numerous artists over the years and remains one of his most enduring and beloved songs. He had five more singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart; these singles were “Strange Things Happening” (number two in 1950), followed by “Lost Love” (also number two in 1951), “The Big Question” (number six in 1952), “Prayin’ For Your Return” (number nine in 1951), “What a Fool I Was” (number eight in 1951), “Cry Baby” (number nine in 1952) and finally “Big Question” (number six in 1952). As Specialty Records did not have its own recording studio, Percy Mayfield’s single releases were recorded at various studios in Los Angeles. This allowed him to work with different engineers and producers, to achieve the best sound for his recordings.
Eugene Church recorded one single for Specialty Records, “Open Up Your Heart” backed by “How Long”. It was released in 1957. Unusually for Specialty, both tracks are aimed at the Pop market, being sung in a highly ornamented Doo-Wop style. “The Very Best Of Eugene Church,” which includes his recordings from various labels, including Specialty Records, was released by Ace Records in the UK.
Apart from his Gospel recordings with The Soul Stirrers, Sam Cooke recorded a few R&B and Soul tracks with Specialty Records, including “I’ll Come Running Back to You” and “Lovable”. “Lovable” was a re-working of the Gospel song “Wonderful”, which was credited to Dale Cook on its release in 1956. Were Specialty trying to protect Sam Cooke or the Soul-Stirrers from criticism? If so, the false name didn’t fool anyone. Sam Cooke’s voice was too distinctive for that.
Sam Cooke
Art Rupe didn’t make too many mistakes, but although he initially approved Sam Cooke’s decision to move to secular songs, he was expecting something dynamic in the style of Little Richard or Lloyd Price. When he heard the two ballads, he argued against further experiments of this kind. As a result, Cooke moved to Keen. What a loss to Specialty! And it was a double loss, as Robert Blackwell went with Sam Cooke.
Along with “Lovable” and “I’ll Come Running Back to You”, another track had been recorded in New Orleans at Cosimo’s Studios on 12th December 1956. It was “You Send Me”. When Cooke and Blackwell went to Keen, they took the song with them. It was re-recorded at Radio Recorders Studio in Hollywood and released on the Keen label on September 7th 1957. It topped both the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
Rupe’s response was to release “I’ll Come Running Back to You” on November 18th. It reached number one on the Billboard R&B Radio Plays Chart week-ending 27th January 1958 (1 week). Rupe knew then that he had made a costly mistake.
The recordings of Specialty artists made in New Orleans are described in detail in Volume 1 in the Icons series, “Icons of New Orleans” and in articles on this website.
