Specialty Records

Specialty Records was an American record label from Los Angeles. It was founded as Juke Box Records in 1946, but renamed by its owner Art Rupe when separated from some of his former partners. Speciality is known for its rhythm and blues, blues, gospel and early rock and roll music which the label recorded. Specialty also had two music publishing companies, Venice Music and Greenwich Music. During the 1960s Speciality stopped the recordings and only sold the old records. In 1968, because of interest in the early days of rock and roll, Rupe started the label again and reissued much of the old material.
Art Rupe was famous for being one of the most honest men in recording business. He paid and recorded his musicians well and he never paid for being played in the radio. On Speciality you can hear some of the wildest rhythm and blues of this time because Rupe gave a lot of freedom to his musicians.
In 1991 the label was sold to the Concord Music Group which has reissued albums by a number of Specialty's original artists.