After two hours spent in the company of Jim O’Neal—archivist, label founder, and chronicler of the modern Blues revival—Hour Six of Blues Before Sunrise eases listeners into the calm that follows reflection. This is where Steve Cushing likes to wind the night down, in that elegant space where the Blues meets jazz, soul, and the smooth edges of R&B. It’s music for the last stretch of night—tunes that speak to the quiet persistence of the form, still moving, still resonant, even as the clock falls back an hour.

The mood begins with a nod to vocal harmony’s golden era: The Four Vagabonds’ “P.S. I Love You.” The Vagabonds were one of the most musically sophisticated of the 1940s vocal quartets—bridging barbershop technique and jazz harmony long before doo-wop and soul. Their precision and warmth perfectly set the tone for the reflective final hour.

From there, Herbie Fields’ “Gate Serene Blues” introduces a touch of swing-era modernism. Fields was a gifted tenor saxophonist whose blend of jazz phrasing and jump-blues rhythm points toward the musical world Jim O’Neal worked to preserve: musicians who could play it all, from hard-driving jive to tender midnight ballads.

The set glides into a trio of selections that showcase the meeting of soul and sophistication: Ray Charles’ “On the Other Hand Baby,” Betty Carter’s “Tell Him I Said Hello,” and Jimmy Smith’s “Absolutely Funky.” Each captures a different facet of mid-century Black American music—Charles’s mix of gospel and swing, Carter’s seamless phrasing and emotional control, and Smith’s Hammond B-3 wizardry that redefined jazz itself. These are records that trace a direct line from the church to the club, the same lineage that informed Sonny Thompson, Amos Milburn, and so many others who passed through the King and Atlantic rosters.

A romantic hush falls over the middle of the hour with a set from Ray and Betty, their paired vocals evoking the sophisticated nightclub duets of the 1950s and ’60s. “Alone Together,” “Cocktails for Two,” and “For All We Know” blend the intimacy of jazz phrasing with the tenderness of pop songwriting. These selections would have fit perfectly on the turntables of early Living Blues readers—collectors who appreciated both the raw and the refined.

The transition to T-Bone Walker returns us squarely to the Blues. “T-Bone Blues,” “Mean Old World,” and “Low Down Dirty Shame” remain textbook examples of how to combine swing sensibility with electric bite. Walker’s phrasing, both vocal and instrumental, influenced nearly every postwar guitarist—from B.B. King and Gatemouth Brown to the young Robert Jr. Lockwood. His records embody the very dialogue between Blues and jazz that Jim O’Neal spent his life documenting.

As the night deepens, Cushing lets the hour stretch out with Lloyd Glenn’s “Chica Boo”—a tune that perfectly captures the relaxed but impeccable groove of West Coast R&B. That smooth pulse continues with Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s “She Moves Me,” where showmanship meets subtlety, and then Ann Cole’s “Nobody But Me” and Lavelle White’s “Stolen Love,” two superb examples of 1950s female R&B that deserve far more recognition.

Finally, the set closes with Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross.” Its drifting guitar lines and meditative calm are the perfect benediction for a long night of Blues, history, and conversation. The track’s serene tone feels almost cinematic—like the sun rising on the other side of the dial, bringing the Blues Before Sunrise full circle.

Hour Six reminds us that the Blues isn’t bound to any one form. It stretches and breathes through jazz, R&B, and beyond—still carrying the same emotional truth that O’Neal devoted his career to preserving.

Hour 6 Playlist

P.S. I LOVE YOU – Four Vagabonds

GATE SERENE BLUES – Herbie Fields

ON THE OTHER HAND BABY – Ray Charles

TELL HIM I SAID HELLO – Betty Carter

ABSOLUTELY FUNKY – Jimmy Smith

ALONE TOGETHER – Ray & Betty

COCKTAILS FOR TWO – Ray & Betty

FOR ALL WE KNOW – Ray & Betty

T-BONE BLUES – T-Bone Walker

MEAN OLD WORLD – T-Bone Walker

LOW DOWN DIRTY SHAME – T-Bone Walker

CHICA BOO – Lloyd Glenn

SHE MOVES ME – Johnny Guitar Watson

NOBODY BUT ME – Ann Cole

STOLEN LOVE – Lavelle White

ALBATROSS – Fleetwood Mac