| Specialty Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Concord Bicycle Music |
| Founded | 1945; 80 years ago (1945) |
| Founder | Art Rupe |
| Genre | Rock,rhythm and blues,gospel |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Official website | www |
Specialty Records was an Americanrecord label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 byArt Rupe. It was known forrhythm and blues,gospel, and earlyrock and roll, and recorded artists such asLittle Richard,Guitar Slim,Percy Mayfield, andLloyd Price.[1] Rupe established the company under the name Juke Box Records but changed it to Specialty in 1946 when he parted company with a couple of his original partners.[2] Rupe's daughter, Beverly,[2] restarted the label in the 1980s.[1]
The major producers for the label were Rupe,Robert "Bumps" Blackwell,Johnny Vincent andJ. W. Alexander.[3] Rupe was known for hating the practice ofpayola,[4] but by 1953, "the only way for Specialty to remain competitive was to pay like everybody else."[5]
Specialty owned music publishing companies: Venice Music forBMI-licensed songs, and Greenwich Music forASCAP-licensed songs.[6]
The record label was sold toFantasy Records in 1991 and is now part of theConcord Music Group. The music publishing unit was sold toSony/ATV Music Publishing.
