Art Rob, the early rock ‘n’ roll mogul and founder of the influential Specialty Records, died on April 15 at his home in Santa Barbara, California at the age of 104.
The major was championed by indelible artists such as Little Richard, Sam Cook, Lloyd Price, and Percy Mayfield after the major was launched in Los Angeles in 1946. Rob was also an oil and gas entrepreneur and spent his final decades dedicated to the work of Arthur’s N.Rupe Foundation in Santa Barbara.
Rob Arthur Goldberg was born into a working-class Jewish family in Pennsylvania. He grew up outside the Pittsburgh area.
According to the foundation, “Robb attended college at Virginia Tech and Miami University in Ohio, and in 1939 he set off to Los Angeles to make his way in the world.” He changed his surname to Rupe after moving west, after learning from his grandfather that it was the family name before Goldberg was adopted on Ellis Island.
Among the survivors of Rob’s daughter are Beverly Rob Schwartz; son-in-law, Leo Schwartz; and granddaughter of Madeleine Cahan.
More is coming
[ad_2]
