- Born
- Died
- Birth nameArthur Newton Goldberg
- Nickname
- Art Rupe
- Arthur Rupe was born on September 5, 1917 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a producer, known for Cocktail (1988), The Runaway (1961) and Missing McKeesport (2017). He was married to Dorothy and Lee Apostoleris. He died on April 15, 2022 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- SpousesDorothy (her death)Lee Apostoleris (divorced, 1 child)
- Owner of Specialty Records, a major R&B label in the 1950s that had such artists as Little Richard.
- Growing up in an ethnically and racially diverse neighborhood in McKeesport, Pennsylvania he developed a keen interest in Rhythm 'n' Blues and Gospel music. When he decided to produce records as a career he chose to specialize in what was then called "race records," music made by and for African-Americans.
- He was elected to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
- Family name "Rupe" was changed by immigration at Ellis Island.
- Beginning in the early 1950s he began investing in oil and gas production, eventually starting his own oil company. Initially operations were centered in Texas, but later the company shifted its focus to drilling in West Virginia and then Ohio. With his Ohio-based partners he remained active in the industry until the end of his life.
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