Hour 2 of Blues Before Sunrise is structured as a wide-ranging passage through rhythm and blues, blues, vocal material, and gospel. It begins with Richard Berry, spends meaningful time with Ella Johnson and Buddy Johnson, turns to a substantial Big Joe Turner sequence, and closes with a group of sacred recordings. The movement is broad, but the programming gives each section a clear role in the hour’s larger shape.

Richard Berry’s “The Big Break” opens the hour, providing a concise entry point before Ella Johnson and Buddy Johnson take over much of the early sequence. Ella Johnson appears with “Any Day Now” and “My Old Man,” while Buddy Johnson contributes “A Pretty Girl,” “Send Out for a Bucket of Beer,” and “Bittersweet.” Their alternating presence creates more than a collection of unrelated titles. It gives the hour an early center built around two artists whose recordings are placed in close conversation with one another.

Big Joe Turner then becomes the hour’s most sustained individual focus. “Rebecca,” “Sun Risin’ Blues,” “Gal for Every Day of the Week,” and “Piney Brown Blues” appear as a four-song run, allowing the program to remain with one artist long enough for that section to develop its own identity. The concentrated Turner sequence contrasts with the alternating Ella Johnson and Buddy Johnson selections that precede it. Where the opening section depends on exchange and juxtaposition, the Turner stretch depends on continuity.

Little Brother Montgomery’s “Farish Street Jive” changes the direction once again, followed by Edith North Johnson’s “Honeydripper Blues” and Johnny Temple’s “Corina Corina.” These selections reopen the hour after its Turner focus, restoring a quicker sequence of distinct artists and titles. The Cotton Belt Quartet’s “In My Heart” then brings a vocal-group presence into the mix and prepares the hour for its final transformation.

That closing transformation is one of Hour 2’s defining features. Rev. W.M. Rimson’s “Living Waters,” Sister Ernestine Washington’s “If I Could Just Make It In,” the National Clouds of Joy’s “Comin’ Home,” and the Flying Clouds of Detroit’s “Out of the Depths” create a four-record gospel conclusion. The change is not presented as an interruption to the earlier blues and rhythm-and-blues material. Instead, it becomes the destination of the hour’s musical travel. By placing these sacred recordings together, the program gives the final section a strong identity and avoids treating them as isolated additions.

The structure is especially notable because it works through changing forms of emphasis. First comes an opening selection from Richard Berry. Then the playlist establishes a recurring relationship between Ella Johnson and Buddy Johnson. Next comes the extended Big Joe Turner feature, followed by a shorter sequence of Little Brother Montgomery, Edith North Johnson, Johnny Temple, and the Cotton Belt Quartet. Finally, gospel takes the closing space. Each section has its own programming logic, and together they make Hour 2 feel carefully composed.

Within the full five-hour show, the hour is a key bridge. It retains an interest in vocal performance that is already evident in Hour 1, but it shifts more decisively toward blues and rhythm-and-blues titles. Its ending also anticipates the program’s willingness to bring different musical traditions into the same broadcast without flattening their differences. Blues Before Sunrise presents the hour as a connected listening experience: multiple artists, multiple approaches, and a closing passage that gives gospel music a full and purposeful presence.

Hour 2 Playlist

The Big Break — Richard Berry

Any Day Now — Ella Johnson

A Pretty Girl — Buddy Johnson

My Old Man — Ella Johnson

Send Out for a Bucket of Beer — Buddy Johnson

Bittersweet — Buddy Johnson

Rebecca — Big Joe Turner

Sun Risin’ Blues — Big Joe Turner

Gal for Every Day of the Week — Big Joe Turner

Piney Brown Blues — Big Joe Turner

Farish Street Jive — Little Brother Montgomery

Honeydripper Blues — Edith North Johnson

Corina Corina — Johnny Temple

In My Heart — Cotton Belt Quartet

Living Waters — Rev W.M. Rimson

If I Could Just Make It In — Sister Ernestine Washington

Comin’ Home — National Clouds of Joy

Out of the Depths — Flying Clouds of Detroit