
Cadet Records came to life in 1965 when Chess Records decided to rename its jazz subsidiary Argo Records to avoid confusion with the similarly named label in the UK. Cadet used the same numbering system as Argo before and its releases were a direct and uninterrupted continuation of the Argo catalogue.
The label design of Cadet and its sister labels Chess and Checker followed the same pattern through the remainder of the 1960s. Shortly after Chess was purchased by GRT in 1971, the numbering system of both Chess and Cadet was consolidated into a new CA/CH-50000 series, along with an entirely new label design for both labels.
Cadet stopped releasing records in 1975, shortly after Chess was sold to All Platinum Records. The label was discontinued and its artists were moved to Chess for good.
The Cadet Record Company was an unrelated 1940s label, formed in December 1945 by Jack Riley in Hollywood, California. With "Cement Mixer" by Slim Gaillard the independent firm had a nationwide hit in 1946.