Art Rupe & Specialty Records part 1 – 1945-50

The Juke In The Back” focuses on the “soul that came before rock n’ roll,” the records that inspired Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless others.
This week, the “Juke In The Back” pays our respects to one of the great record men of the 1940s and 50s; Art Rupe. Rupe passed away on April 15, 2022 at the age of 104! He started Juke Box Records in 1945, which would become Specialty Records in ’47 and go on to become one of the most important independent labels of Rhythm & Blues and early Rock n’ Roll.
Part 1 of this 3 part series will focus on Specialty’s early years, featuring not only the enormous hits from Roy Milton & His Solid Senders, Jimmy Liggins, Camille Howard and Joe Liggins, but also the lesser known releases by The Sepia Tones, The Blues Woman, Big Maceo and more.
Find out how this great label began on this week’s “Juke In The Back” with Matt The Cat.
Join Matt the Cat for Juke in the Back, tomorrow morning at 04:00 AM Eastern, with an encore presentation, Sunday afternoon at 03:00 PM Eastern, after "The Lost Lennon Tapes" with Elliot Mintz and before "Only The 80s" with Anne Cosgrove, on Mushroom FM, the home of the fun guys, making four decades of magic mushroom memories!