[1] All of the members were neighborhood friends who worked on the city circuit, honing a large repertoire of traditional pop standards, show tunes, and jazz during the Second World War.
"Cleveland, Ohio was a rich source of R&B groups", wrote music historian Marv Goldberg, "Possibly the first, however, was the 4 Shades of Rhythm".
Finally, in January 1948 the label issued "One Hundred Years from Today" for the quartet's debut single, highlighted by a lead vocal performance by McAfee.
He subsequently established Old Swing Master Records in 1949 to recoup some of the financial losses from his association with Vitacoustic; three singles by the group were released on the label during that year.
One final single credited to the Four Shades of Rhythm, but most likely a Lindsay solo effort, featured a remake of "A Hundred Years from Today" with string arrangements.