In the 1950s and 60s, the Cincinnati recording scene was dominated by Syd Nathan's King label, whose R&B catalogue made it a major player among post-war independents. In its shadow was Fraternity, a smaller concern launched by Harry Carlson in 1954. The well-respected Carlson set about building an artist roster which reflected his conservative musical taste, scoring smash hits by Cathy Carr and Jimmy Dorsey a couple of years later which established the label as an indie to be reckoned with. Here, though, we spotlight decidedly non-MOR Fraternity recordings by influential guitar hero Lonnie Mack, soulful girl group the Charmaines, bluesy singer-guitarist Albert Washington, and female duo the 2 Of Clubs.