- 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.
- During the Second World War he worked on an engineering crew testing Liberty ships on L.A.'s Terminal Island.
- In late 1944, with Ben Siegert, he formed Juke Box Records. His first record "Boogie #1," produced on a low budget with only three musicians, sold 70,000 copies, a regional hit at the time.
- Grew up in McKeesport, Pennsylvania in the Pittsburgh metro area.
- He attended college at Virginia Tech and Miami University of Ohio, and in 1939 set off for Los Angeles to make his way in the world. Years later he would complete his university education at UCLA.
- Has a daughter Beverly Rupe Schwarz and a granddaughter, Madeline Schwarz Kahan.
- He founded the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation to pursue "creative solutions to societal issues," primarily by supporting public policy research, education, and advocacy. It has historically sponsored public debates on controversial issues both in scholastic and public settings. Significant resources are also devoted to supporting family caregivers for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
- In September 1946 Rupe set out on his own, launching a new label, Specialty Records. Over the next fifteen years, Specialty became one of the most prominent independent recording companies, with worldwide distribution. Rupe's work at Specialty played a key role in the emergence of the new musical genre of rock 'n ' roll. The label featured such artists as Roy Milton, Percy Mayfield, Joe and Jimmy Liggins, Lloyd Price, Little Richard, and Sam Cooke.
- Owner of Ebb Records.
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