Hour Three is the heart of this week’s show—our dedicated dive into the legacy of the Yazoo label and the pre-war blues giants whose recordings shaped the entire history of American roots music. These are the sides Nick Perls hunted down in basements, closets, attics, collector circles, and private shelves; the sides that formed the backbone of Yazoo’s catalogue and became the gateway through which modern listeners rediscovered the world of country blues.

The hour opens with one of the most iconic: Skip James’ “Special Rider Blues.” James’ keening falsetto and hypnotic, minor-key guitar style were unlike anything recorded in the 1930s, and the Yazoo transfers preserved his eerie clarity without flattening his tone. The mood deepens with Tom Dickson’s “Death Bell Blues,” a masterpiece of dread and imagery. Together, the two songs instantly place us in the shadowed, intimate sonic world of early Delta blues.

Charlie Jordan’s “Hunkie Tunkie” lifts the energy with a danceable, rag-tinged guitar line, followed by one of the great enigmas of the era: King Solomon Hill’s “Gone Dead Train,” a performance dripping with raw tension. Blind Willie McTell’s “Mam Tain’t Long ’Fore Day” shifts the tone again—McTell’s 12-string guitar ringing like a bell, showing the Piedmont’s lighter, fleet-fingered touch.

We continue into Jaybird Coleman’s “Coffee Grinder Blues” and Charlie McCoy’s “Last Time Blues,” both essential examples of early country harmonica and string-band influence. Pearl Dickerson’s “Twelve Pound Daddy” adds the rare, commanding voice of an early blueswoman—her sides are scarce, making every surviving track a gem.

Charlie Patton’s “Devil Sent the Rain” brings the towering figure of Delta blues into the spotlight: fierce, percussive guitar and a vocal style full of shouts, bends, and guttural drive. From there, Buddy Boy Hawkins’ “Voice Throwin’ Blues” and George Carter’s “Rising River Blues” offer contrasting textures—Hawkins’ unusual phrasing and Carter’s bright, rhythmic guitar serve as reminders of just how regionally varied pre-war blues could be.

Willie Walker’s “South Carolina Rag #2” is a master class in syncopated guitar, further broadening the map. Bo Carter follows with “I Want You to Know,” showcasing the sly, melodic style that made him one of the era’s most prolific and playful musicians. William Moore’s “Ragtime Millionaire” continues the rag-blues fusion with its stately, almost parlor-room guitar approach.

The hour closes with two cornerstones: Leroy Carr’s “How About Me,” carried by his smooth, urbane piano style, and Tampa Red with “C’Mon Mama Do That Dance,” a perfectly pitched blend of bottleneck guitar and uptown polish. Carr and Red remind us that not all pre-war blues was rural—Yazoo documented the full spectrum, from Delta grit to urban sophistication.

Hour Three is not just a playlist; it’s a panorama. It’s the sound of the past resurrected through shellac, filtered through the ears of collectors, brought back to life by Yazoo, and ultimately rediscovered by generations who never held a 78 in their hands. This is the bedrock—one hour devoted to the voices and instruments that shaped everything that came after.

HOUR #3 — PLAYLIST

SPECIAL RIDER BLUES — Skip James

DEATH BELL BLUES — Tom Dickson

HUNKIE TUNKIE — Charlie Jordan

GONE DEAD TRAIN — King Solomon Hill

MAM TAIN’T LONG ’FORE DAY — Blind Willie McTell

COFFEE GRINDER BLUES — Jaybird Coleman

LAST TIME BLUES — Charlie McCoy

TWELVE POUND DADDY — Pearl Dickerson

DEVIL SENT THE RAIN — Charlie Patton

VOICE THROWIN’ BLUES — Buddy Boy Hawkins

RISING RIVER BLUES — George Carter

SOUTH CAROLINA RAG #2 — Willie Walker

I WANT YOU TO KNOW — Bo Carter

RAGTIME MILLIONAIRE — William Moore

HOW ABOUT ME — Leroy Carr

C’MON MAMA DO THAT DANCE — Tampa Red