Aside from Slade, some of the artists on the label were The Dummies, The Ska-Dows, Sue Wilkinson, Roy Wood, Tich Turner's Escalator, Malcolm Roberts, Top Secret and The Glitter Band.
[1] Cheapskate Records was originally created to release a one-off single by The Dummies,[2] a musical project formed by Jim Lea of Slade and his brother Frank.
[5] Frank wanted to prove that any independent label, with the right promotion and distribution, could release a hit single and "When the Lights Are Out" surfaced in December 1979.
[6][4] In 1980, the Leas decided to continue the label to release other artists' recordings, and Slade's manager Chas Chandler joined the team during this time.
[12] Like their debut, the single generated much airplay and was expected to become a big hit after being placed on BBC Radio 1's 'A' playlist,[13] but suffered distribution issues.
[16] The label also released the debut single of Roy Wood's Helicopters in October that year, although it failed to chart.