View source for Specialty Records

{{more sources|date=March 2012}}
[[File:SpecialtyRecord.jpg|thumb|alt=|Speciality Records single by Guitar Slim, 1950s]]
'''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.

== Related pages ==
* [[Sam Cooke]] (with the Soul Stirrers and a couple of pop singles before his major stardom)
* [[John Lee Hooker]]
* [[Little Richard]]
* [[Roy Milton]] - Roy Miltons "R.M. Blues" was the first song who sold over a million copies in the black market.<ref>[http://www.bsnpubs.com/specialty/specialtystory.html Speciality Story]</ref>

==Other websites==
*[http://www.history-of-rock.com/specialty.htm History of Rock - Speciality Records]
*[http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/labels/Specialty/ Concord Music Group-Speciality Records]
*[http://www.bsnpubs.com/specialty/specialty2100.html Speciality-Album discography]
*[http://www.globaldogproductions.info/s/specialty.html Speciality Singles discography]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:American record labels]]
[[Category:Blues labels]]
[[Category:Companies based in Los Angeles]]