Arthur Rupe died at his home in California at the age of 104.
Producer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame selected Arthur Rupe has died at the age of 104 years. Rupe died at his home in Santa Barbara, California. Rupe’s daughter Beverly Rupe Schwarz confirms the death of his father New York Timesaccording to n.
Rupe helped pioneer rock and roll Little Richardin career at the beginning of this. He also played a major role in R& B music on the rise.
– Rock and roll would not exist without Art Rupe as we know it today. Rupe’s demanding work ethic and incomprehensible musical intuition shaped the development of rock, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame writes on their website.
Rupe was born into a Jewish working-class family in Greensburg, Pennsylvania in 1917. He was named Arthur N. Goldberg, but later changed his last name to Rupe when he moved to California.
During World War II, Rupe worked at the shipyard as an engineering crew testing Liberty cargo ships. After the war, he decided to become a record producer. He founded Specialty Records in 1946, which featured many other well-known R&B, blues and rock and roll artists in addition to Little Richard, including Sam Cooke, Joe Liggins and Percy Mayfield.
In 2011, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame awarded Rupe the Ahmet Ertegun Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to record company executives.
