Ruth Brown’s “I Would If I Could” starts Hour 2 with a direct vocal entrance, followed by Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson’s “It Was a Rainy Morning.” Cecil Gant then takes over for two selections, “Syncopated Boogie” and “I Remember You.” The opening is compact but varied: two vocal performances give way to a two-song artist passage, and the different titles keep the hour moving without an announced special theme. The program’s interest is in the conversation created by the order of the music.

Percy Mayfield’s “How Wrong Can a Good Man Be” follows Cecil Gant, then Chuck Willis appears with “Feel So Bad.” Smiley Lewis continues with “Lillie Mae,” and Eddie Bo brings two successive selections, “Tell Me Why” and “Walk That Walk.” This section gives the hour a strong rhythm-and-blues current. The performers arrive one after another, yet the sequencing never feels like a roll call. Repeated artists are used sparingly and purposefully, allowing Eddie Bo’s two-song appearance to register as a short feature.

Fats Domino’s “Trouble Blues” and James Booker’s “You’re Near” shift the center of the hour again. Booker remains for “Cool Turkey” and “Sixes & Sevens,” creating the second extended artist passage of the hour. The decision to place three James Booker titles together after Fats Domino makes the piano presence especially clear. The source material does not provide arrangement details or historical context, but the programming itself supports a simple observation: this is a section that lingers on a performer before turning sharply toward earlier material.

Crippled Clarence’s “Hey-Hey H-Ha I’m Charleston Crazy” begins that turn. Rosa Henderson follows with “Barrelhouse Blues,” “Chicago Monkey Man,” and “What a Time,” a three-song sequence that stands out as the hour’s longest sustained vocalist segment. After a first half shaped by Ruth Brown, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Cecil Gant, Percy Mayfield, Chuck Willis, Smiley Lewis, Eddie Bo, Fats Domino, and James Booker, the Rosa Henderson set changes the historical and stylistic perspective without requiring a break in the hour’s momentum.

The final portion turns to sacred music. Golden Gate Quartet’s “What a Time” follows Rosa Henderson’s identically titled selection, making the transition feel especially deliberate. Rev. J.M. Gates’ “Deacon’s Board Meeting Pts 1&2” comes next, followed by Spirit of Memphis Quartet’s “The Atomic Telephone,” Harmonizing Four’s “Where Could I Go but to the Lord,” and Wings Over Jordan’s “Old Ship of Zion.” The hour closes with five consecutive sacred selections after an earlier stretch of blues, boogie, and rhythm-and-blues.

That closing passage does more than provide contrast. It gives Hour 2 a clear arc, beginning with solo artists and piano-centered material, moving through a focused Rosa Henderson sequence, then arriving at ensembles and religious songs. The program does not treat these as disconnected worlds. Their placement in one hour makes the continuity of vocal expression more important than an artificial genre boundary.

Hour 2 is one of the week’s most wide-ranging sections because it makes room for Ruth Brown, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Cecil Gant, Percy Mayfield, Chuck Willis, Smiley Lewis, Eddie Bo, Fats Domino, James Booker, Crippled Clarence, Rosa Henderson, Golden Gate Quartet, Rev. J.M. Gates, Spirit of Memphis Quartet, Harmonizing Four, and Wings Over Jordan. The show moves through these names with patience and economy. By the end, the sacred close feels earned by the hour’s prior attention to singers, groups, and piano-led music.

Hour 2 Playlist

I Would If I Could — Ruth Brown

It Was a Rainy Morning — Eddie Cleanhead Vinson

Syncopated Boogie — Cecil Gant

I Remember You — Cecil Gant

How Wrong Can a Good Man Be — Percy Mayfield

Feel So Bad — Chuck Willis

Lillie Mae — Smiley Lewis

Tell Me Why — Eddie Bo

Walk That Walk — Eddie Bo

Trouble Blues — Fats Domino

You’re Near — James Booker

Cool Turkey — James Booker

Sixes & Sevens — James Booker

Hey-Hey H-Ha I’m Charleston Crazy — Crippled Clarence

Barrelhouse Blues — Rosa Henderson

Chicago Monkey Man — Rosa Henderson

What a Time — Rosa Henderson

What a Time — Golden Gate Quartet

Deacon’s Board Meeting Pts 1&2 — Rev J.M. Gates

The Atomic Telephone — Spirit of Memphis Quartet

Where Could I Go but to the Lord — Harmonizing Four

Old Ship of Zion — Wings Over Jordan