The fourth hour begins the week’s Spotlight on Lefty Bates, a guitarist whose work as a session player made him a sought-after presence on the Chicago blues scene. Blues Before Sunrise has not previously devoted a feature to Bates in its 47 years on the air, making this hour a welcome corrective. The source material notes that Bates made a limited number of recordings under his own name, while two Koko Mojo CDs collect 56 sides that feature his playing. This hour draws generously from that material and gives the listener a concentrated chance to hear his name in the foreground.
The Chargers open with “Large Charge,” establishing the hour before Bates’ own run begins. “Rock Alley,” “Chicago Cha-Cha,” “Somebody Will Understand,” “Background,” “Ninety Days,” and “Edna” form the central sequence. Rather than presenting a single recording as the whole story, the program gives Bates multiple entries in succession. That choice makes the feature feel substantial and lets the hour develop around the guitarist’s recorded presence.
The surrounding selections matter because they place the Bates material in a larger working environment. The Flamingos arrive with “Carried Away,” followed by Bertha Henderson’s “Tears in My Eyes.” Al Smith Orchestra is heard on “Hot Rod Special,” Wally Wilson on “If You Don’t Love Me,” and the Four Buddies on “Look Out.” The hour does not rely on a single style or vocal approach. Groups, singers, and orchestral recordings move past one another, keeping the focus broad enough to show the range of material connected to this section of the program.
“Road House,” another selection by Al Smith Orchestra, gives that ensemble a second appearance. Earl Washington follows with “Wolf Call,” then Red Holloway brings “Simple Steps.” John Lee Hooker’s “Goin’ Upstairs” adds another major blues voice to the hour, and the Flamingoes return with “You Ain’t Ready.” Ben Imen’s “I Really Love You” closes the sequence.
This arrangement makes the feature feel like a working playlist rather than a museum display. Bates remains its subject, but the hour does not isolate him from the records around him. That is particularly fitting for a musician described in the notes as much in demand for session work. The program’s structure allows the listener to hear the featured sides alongside vocal groups, solo performers, orchestras, and instrumental-minded band material without assigning unsupported details to any individual performance.
There is a clear Chicago emphasis in the hour’s stated context, but the musical direction is not reduced to a label. The titles selected for Bates suggest different settings and moods, while the program lets the recordings themselves carry the distinctions. “Chicago Cha-Cha” sits alongside “Ninety Days”; “Somebody Will Understand” is followed by “Background”; “Edna” completes the Bates sequence before the hour moves back into its wider cast.
The hour also benefits from repeated artists. Al Smith Orchestra appears twice, and the Flamingos and Flamingoes each appear once in the supplied playlist. Those returns give the set internal continuity. Earl Washington will reappear in Hour 5, as will the Chargers, extending the special segment beyond a single hour and making the two-hour feature feel deliberately constructed.
By its close, Hour 4 has done what a strong spotlight should do: it gives Lefty Bates ample room while preserving the company around him. The result is a full hour of blues, R&B, vocal-group material, and jazz-inflected rhythm that invites listeners to make up for lost time with an important guitarist whose work has waited far too long for this kind of attention.
Hour 4 Playlist
Large Charge — The Chargers
Rock Alley — Lefty Bates
Chicago Cha-Cha — Lefty Bates
Somebody Will Understand — Lefty Bates
Background — Lefty Bates
Ninety Days — Lefty Bates
Edna — Lefty Bates
Carried Away — Flamingos
Tears in My Eyes — Bertha Henderson
Hot Rod Special — Al Smith Orch
If You Don’t Love Me — Wally Wilson
Look Out — Four Buddies
Road House — Al Smith Orch
Wolf Call — Earl Washington
Simple Steps — Red Holloway
Goin’ Upstairs — John Lee Hooker
You Ain’t Ready — Flamingoes
I Really Love You — Ben Imen