From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cadence Records was an American record company based in New York City. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952.

The first recording star for Cadence was Godfrey alumnus Julius La Rosa. Other Godfrey alumnae signed to the label included the Chordettes. According to legend, Bleyer was fired from the Godfrey show when he signed someone Godfrey regarded as a rival to a record deal. The label also produced the early hits of Andy Williams and the Everly Brothers. Johnny Tillotson was another of the company's stars. Virtuoso jazz/classical pianist Donald Shirley was signed with Cadence in the 50's and 60's. Candid Records was the company's short-lived jazz subsidiary.

Cadence had many hits in the 1950s and into the 1960s. It produced the 1962 smash bestseller parody record, "The First Family" by Vaughn Meader, which was, to that time, the fastest-selling album in history. A follow-up album the next year did not do well, and shortly thereafter, the president who was its subject had been murdered and the two albums were taken out of print. The departures of Williams and the Everly Brothers along with changes in the music business brought on by the 1964 British invasion, led to the decline of the company by 1964, and Bleyer shut it down and sold the masters to Williams. Williams bought his Cadence masters because he was interested in keeping Cadence from reissuing his old material in competition with the new material he was recording for Columbia Records. Williams reissued his old albums on Columbia and formed Barnaby Records to manage the Cadence catalogue.

Cadence Records should not be confused with the record labels associated with Cadence Magazine.

• The Cadence Records Story

• List of record labels