The fourth hour brings the program back to a tough, guitar-centered blues sound, opening with Hooker & Heat and continuing through a sequence of John Lee Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Otis Spann, Jerry McCain, Vera Hall, Boy Blue, and Forrest City Joe. The selections are arranged in focused artist groupings, allowing the hour to develop through short, deliberate sets rather than a rapid assortment of unrelated records. It is a direct, powerful section of the show, but one that still makes room for varied voices and tempos.

“Boogie Chillin #2” by Hooker & Heat begins the hour with a title that immediately establishes the program’s blues direction. John Lee Hooker follows with “House Rent Boogie” and “I Got a Good ‘Un,” extending the opening through a concentrated three-record stretch. The placement emphasizes the continuity between the first record and Hooker’s own titles while giving the hour an immediate identity. There is no need for a special theme when the records themselves create such a forceful opening sequence.

Robert Nighthawk enters next with “Jackson Town Gal” and “Sugar Papa.” His two selections maintain the hour’s momentum while shifting to another artist voice. Otis Spann’s “Otis in the Dark” follows as a single, carefully placed change in the program. Jerry McCain then receives a two-song segment with “Stay Out of Automobiles” and “Geronimo Rock.” That pattern of paired recordings and individual turns gives the hour a clear internal structure, with each artist allowed a little room before the next transition.

Vera Hall’s “Wild Ox Moan” changes the sequence once again, leading into Boy Blue’s “Boogie Chillun” and “She Lived Her Life Too Fast.” The return to the “Boogie Chillun” title after the hour’s opening Hooker & Heat selection creates a loose connection across the playlist without suggesting that the records are otherwise identical. Forrest City Joe’s “She Don’t Love Me That Way” and “Stop Breakin’ Down” continue the late-hour movement through blues songs with strongly individual titles and performers.

Boy Blue closes the hour with “Joe Leee’s Rock,” bringing the set to an ending that remains consistent with its energetic character. Across the hour, Blues Before Sunrise keeps the spotlight on recordings associated with blues guitar, boogie language, and post-war blues styles while avoiding a repetitive single-artist presentation. The progression from Hooker & Heat through John Lee Hooker, Nighthawk, Spann, McCain, Hall, Boy Blue, and Forrest City Joe gives the hour a firm musical spine and an appropriately hard-driving finish.

Hour 4 Playlist

Boogie Chillin #2 — Hooker & Heat

House Rent Boogie — John Lee Hooker

I Got a Good ‘Un — John Lee Hooker

Jackson Town Gal — Robert Nighthawk

Sugar Papa — Robert Nighthawk

Otis in the Dark — Otis Spann

Stay Out of Automobiles — Jerry McCain

Geronimo Rock — Jerry McCain

Wild Ox Moan — Vera Hall

Boogie Chillun — Boy Blue

She Lived Her Life Too Fast — Forrest City Joe

She Don’t Love Me That Way — Forrest City Joe

Stop Breakin’ Down — Forrest City Joe

Joe Leee’s Rock — Boy Blue