Art Rupe

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  • Year:
    2011
  • Inducted by:
    Lloyd Price
  • Category:
    Ahmet Ertegun Award
art_rupe

Introduction

Rock and roll as we know it would not exist without Art Rupe.

He brought R&B and soul into the mainstream and launched Little Richard’s career. Rupe’s fastidious work ethic and uncanny musical intuition shaped the evolution of rock.

 

Hall of Fame Essay

2011

Parke Puterbaugh

As founder of Specialty Records, one of the premier independent labels of the rock & roll era, Art Rupe signed and recorded numerous vanguard artists in the areas of rhythm & blues, gospel, and rock & roll.

He was also an important figure in the postwar music industry, helming a label that helped bring a niche market (rhythm & blues) into the mainstream. Beyond that, Specialty played a role in igniting the rock & roll revolution by introducing the world to the incendiary music of Little Richard.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program Cover 2011
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