| Specialty Records | |
| Parent: | Concord Bicycle Music |
| Country: | U.S. |
| Location: | Los Angeles, California |
Specialty Records was an American record label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Art Rupe. It was known for rhythm and blues, gospel, and early rock and roll, and recorded artists such as Little Richard, Guitar Slim, Percy Mayfield, and Lloyd 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.
The major producers for the label were Rupe, Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Johnny Vincent and J. W. Alexander.[3] Rupe was known for hating the practice of payola,[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 for BMI-licensed songs, and Greenwich Music for ASCAP-licensed songs.[6]
The record label was sold to Fantasy Records in 1991 and is now part of the Concord Music Group. The music publishing unit was sold to Sony/ATV Music Publishing.