The third hour of Blues Before Sunrise draws together a wide array of pre-war blues recordings, with singers, pianists, vocal groups, and individual performers arranged in a sequence that favors contrast and continuity. Lil Green’s “I Won’t Sell My Love” opens the hour, followed by Charlie Patton’s “Moon Going Down” and “Bird’s Nest on the Ground.” Beginning with these three recordings gives the set an immediate sense of variety while establishing the hour’s attention to older blues material.

Charlie Patton’s two selections are followed by a Peetie Wheatstraw pair: “Ain’t It a Pity & a Shame” and “Don’t Hang My Clothes.” The two-artist construction is one of the hour’s strongest programming choices. Rather than rapidly moving from one name to another, Blues Before Sunrise gives Patton and Wheatstraw consecutive space, allowing listeners to hear each performer through more than one recording. That approach returns elsewhere in the hour and gives the playlist a measured shape.

Tommy McClennan follows with “Deep Blue Sea Blues” and “My Little Girl.” The sequence continues the hour’s pattern of paired selections while shifting the vocal identity once more. Andy Boy’s “Evil Blues” and Freezone’s “Indian Squaw Blues” then move the program onward without breaking its pre-war-centered direction. The hour does not present these recordings as interchangeable examples of a genre. Their distinct placement makes each artist part of a longer sequence of changing voices and song titles.

Ed Andrews’ “Time Ain’t Gonna Make Me Stay” and George Bullet Williams’ “The Escaped Convict” add further variety to the center of the hour. Speckled Red’s “St.Louis Stomp” introduces a piano-centered name to the playlist, followed by Walter Davis’ “Wonder What I’m Doing Wrong.” The movement between these performers gives the hour a useful sense of scale. It can place a title by Speckled Red beside one by Walter Davis without requiring the listener to treat either as a detour from the blues tradition around them.

The Dinwiddie Colored Quartet appears with “Poor Mourner,” an important change in texture after the individual performances that precede it. Otis Harris’ “Waking Blues” follows, then Madelyn James contributes “Long Time Blues.” These recordings make the latter section especially varied: quartet singing, a blues title from Harris, and James’ contribution arrive in close succession, giving the hour another set of changing perspectives.

Sam Townsend’s “Lilly Kimble” and Joe Pullum’s “Hattie Green” bring the hour to a close. Both appear after a long progression through singers, pianists, and vocal-group material, and their placement keeps the ending direct and focused. There is no need for an imposed conclusion beyond the playlist itself: the hour’s final titles continue its practice of pairing memorable artists with concise, individual recordings.

Across its full length, Hour 3 demonstrates how much variety can exist inside a program centered on older blues. Lil Green, Charlie Patton, Peetie Wheatstraw, Tommy McClennan, Andy Boy, Freezone, Ed Andrews, George Bullet Williams, Speckled Red, Walter Davis, the Dinwiddie Colored Quartet, Otis Harris, Madelyn James, Sam Townsend, and Joe Pullum each contribute a separate presence. The hour’s flow is shaped by grouping, especially the paired Patton, Wheatstraw, and McClennan selections, but it never becomes overly symmetrical.

The programming also avoids reducing the music to a single voice or instrumental approach. Individual singers dominate much of the hour, yet the Dinwiddie Colored Quartet provides an ensemble contrast, while Speckled Red introduces another musical angle. Those changes keep the hour active and prevent its deep pre-war focus from becoming uniform.

As a whole, the third hour is an expansive survey of blues voices and titles, assembled with enough space for individual performers to register. It moves from “I Won’t Sell My Love” through “Hattie Green” with a steady sequence of distinctive names, repeated artist spotlights, and changing formats. The result is a strong pre-war set that values both the individual recording and the larger musical world formed by their placement together.

Hour 3 Playlist

I Won’t Sell My Love — Lil Green

Moon Going Down — Charlie Patton

Bird’s Nest on the Ground — Charlie Patton

Ain’t It a Pity & a Shame — Peetie Wheatstraw

Don’t Hang My Clothes — Peetie Wheatstraw

Deep Blue Sea Blues — Tommy McClennen

My Little Girl — Tommy McClennen

Evil Blues — Andy Boy

Indian Squaw Blues — Freezone

Time Ain’t Gonna Make Me Stay — Ed Andrews

The Escaped Convict — George Bullet Williams

St.Louis Stomp — Speckled Red

Wonder What I’m Doing Wrong — Walter Davis

Poor Mourner — Dinwiddie Colored Quartet

Waking Blues — Otis Harris

Long Time Blues — Madelyn James

Lilly Kimble — Sam Townsend

Hattie Green — Joe Pullum