This week on Blues Before Sunrise, Steve Cushing took listeners deep into the vibrant yet often overlooked world of New York blues, guided by the remarkable Down Home Blues New York four-CD box set from Wienerworld. With 110 tracks packed into the collection, this set shines a spotlight on the gritty, passionate, and highly regional sounds of the New York blues scene—music that too often gets overshadowed by Chicago and Delta traditions. Over the course of five hours, Steve spun sides from both legendary and little-known artists, weaving a portrait of a bustling musical landscape that connected the clubs, the streets, and the studios of New York City.

The show began with a lively warm-up (Hour 1), featuring big-band swing, jazz blues, and the urban stylings of Gene Ammons, Joe Carroll, Hot Lips Page, and The Four Clefs. The energy recalled the heyday of Harlem ballrooms, setting the stage for the down-home explorations to come.

Hour 2 shifted into gospel, jump blues, and rhythm & blues roots, with powerful voices like Sister Rosetta Tharpe (captured in rare Soundies), Cousin Joe, and Mabel Scott. Steve also spun selections from Ethel Waters—one of the first true crossover stars of the blues and jazz era—alongside spiritual sides from the Alphabetical Four and the Swan Silvertones. This balance of sacred and secular reflected the broad spectrum of African American musical expression in the 1940s and 1950s.

Hour 3 was a deep historical journey, pulling listeners back into the rawness of pre-war country blues. Lucille Bogan’s unflinching lyrics, Memphis Minnie’s fire, Blind Lemon Jefferson’s country sound, and William Moore’s early guitar stylings all revealed the roots of the later New York sound. These recordings, though not tied geographically to New York, provided the backbone and contrast for what came next.

The centerpiece arrived in Hour 4, when the show fully immersed itself in the Down Home Blues New York box set. Here was the gritty heart of the program: Otis Hinton, Cousin Leroy, Guitar Crusher, Dr. Bob Gaddy, Big Chief Ellis, Rosita “Chicken” Lockhart, and Alonzo Scales. Their recordings may not have charted nationally, but they defined the street-level blues of New York City, with raw vocals, insistent guitar riffs, and lyrics that told of struggle, survival, and nightlife. It was a reminder that New York’s blues was every bit as real and urgent as Chicago’s South Side or Mississippi’s Delta.

Finally, Hour 5 delivered the Soul Breakfast and beyond. The Basin Street Boys and Shirley Horn brought smoothness and jazz sophistication, while Howlin’ Wolf roared with primal energy on “Riding in the Moonlight” and “Mr. Airplane Man.” Ike Turner and B.B. King kept things rolling with sharp R&B edges, and the set closed with Fleetwood Mac’s haunting instrumental “Albatross,” a modern nod to how far the blues had traveled.

This episode of Blues Before Sunrise was more than just a survey of a box set—it was a rediscovery of a regional blues tradition too often forgotten. By threading together obscure 78s, Soundies, and club recordings, Steve painted a vivid picture of New York blues as both a continuation of tradition and a sound uniquely its own.