adminAs summer hits its peak, Blues Before Sunrise returns with one of its most cherished traditions: the Annual BBS Salute to Summer, airing Sunday, July 20, 2025. What began more than 20 years ago as a single hour of “Summertime” covers has grown into a full-show celebration of the season. It’s now five full hours of deep cuts, classic takes, and warm-weather blues, with two entire hours dedicated to the Gershwin standard that started it all.
This isn’t just a tribute—it’s a journey through jazz, blues, gospel, and soul, tied together by the mood and music of summer. Whether you catch the show on the East Coast or the West, Blues Before Sunrise has the soundtrack to your season.
Hour 1 – Summertime: The Standards and the Soul
We open the show with an hour-long parade of “Summertime,” as interpreted by some of the greatest artists in American music history. This set is all about depth, style, and reinterpretation.
Duke Ellington delivers orchestral majesty. Charlie Parker soars with bebop brilliance. Miles Davis brings cool detachment. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong turn it into a smoky duet. From Al Hibbler’s velvet baritone to the gospel-tinged harmonies of The Ravens, every version brings out a different emotion in the same familiar melody.
Other standout interpretations include:
- Brother Jack McDuff’s organ-driven groove
- Sam Cooke’s silky vocal control
- Wes Montgomery’s melodic guitar flow
- Billie Holiday’s signature phrasing
- Sidney Bechet’s creole cry of the clarinet
We close the hour with two tracks that fit the mood perfectly:
- “Guess I’ll Go Back Home This Summer” by Nat King Cole
- “Estate” by Shirley Horn, a sultry Italian ballad of seasonal longing
Hour 2 – Swing, Shout, and Southern Harmonies
Hour 2 shifts gears into a livelier groove. It’s a mix of jump blues, early R&B, quartet gospel, and vocal harmony, filled with energy and attitude.
You’ll hear the rhythm-heavy fun of Tiny Bradshaw and The Treniers, plus the West Coast grind of Jimmy McCracklin. Percy Mayfield slows things down with his elegant, world-weary blues. Then we transition into tight, complex harmonies with the Mills Brothers and Ella Fitzgerald, followed by powerhouse gospel from the Golden Gate Quartet, Elder J.E. Burch, and the Soul Stirrers.
It’s a joyful, eclectic set, from Heebie Jeebies to Heaven-bound devotion.
Hour 3 – Barrelhouse Blues and Front Porch Preachers
This hour digs deep into pre-war and early post-war blues, where field recordings, 78s, and juke joints define the sound. It’s blues at its rawest and most vital.
Big Bill Broonzy, Georgia Tom Dorsey, and Tampa Red bring barrelhouse swagger. Sleepy John Estes and Kokomo Arnold offer raw vocals and danceable stompers. Julia Moody and Margaret Thornton add the rare but powerful voices of women in early blues.
The set is rounded out with:
- Preachers and pranksters like Bull City Red and Frankie Half-Pint Jaxon
- Reflective tunes like Walter Davis’s “Come Back Baby”
- Risqué numbers like Richard Trice’s “Trembling Bedsprings Blues”
This hour feels like flipping through the pages of American roots music history.
Hour 4 – Juke Joint Tales and Hard Luck Lullabies
As the night deepens, we lean into late-night blues storytelling. This hour features the weary voices of men and women who’ve seen it all and lived to sing about it.
Sunnyland Slim is the anchor here, appearing throughout the hour with tracks that shift from piano stomps to quiet laments. He’s joined by Robert Jr. Lockwood, Big Mama Thornton, Smokey Hogg, and Memphis Slim, each bringing stories of love gone wrong, crooked roads, and the strength to carry on.
Highlights include:
- “Dirty Mistreater” by Smokey Hogg
- “The Drifter” by Mercy Dee Walton
- “Hand Me Down Baby” by Sidney Maiden
- “Tin Pan Alley” by Jimmy Wilson
The vibe is gritty, soulful, and undeniably human.
Hour 5 – Summertime: The Reprise (West Coast Edition)
We come full circle in the final hour with a second helping of “Summertime,” featuring fresh takes and different artists. This is the West Coast version of the Salute to Summer—cooled off but still hot with emotion and energy.
This set includes:
- Red Garland’s piano shimmer
- Charles Mingus’s angular arrangements
- Jimmy Smith and Lou Donaldson’s Hammond B3 soul jazz
- Morris Lane’s smooth saxophone styling
- Don Byas’s romantic “Sugar Farm”
- Fats Navarro’s bittersweet “Things We Did Last Summer”
- Hank Jones’s reflective “Summer’s Gone”
It’s a fitting end to a show that’s been equal parts celebration, reflection, and musical storytelling.
Blues Before Sunrise: A Seasonal Tradition
This week’s episode of Blues Before Sunrise isn’t just another playlist. It’s a deeply curated journey through decades of Black music, anchored by one iconic song and expanded into a five-hour exploration of summer in sound.
Whether you’re watching the sun rise with coffee or watching it set with a drink in hand, the Salute to Summer has something to match the moment.
Don’t miss it—only on Blues Before Sunrise.