Hour 2 of Blues Before Sunrise moves through a vibrant sequence of rhythm and blues, piano blues, vocal performances, and gospel, with a substantial New Orleans-centered opening that gives the hour its first momentum. Dave Bartholomew begins with “Little Girl Sing Ding-a-Ling” and “Domino Medley,” two selections that create a clear bridge into the four-song Fats Domino set that follows. “I’m Walkin’,” “Let the Four Winds Blow,” “Ain’t That a Shame,” and “The Preacher” give Domino an extended presence and make the hour’s opening section feel deliberately shaped rather than casually assembled.

The Bartholomew-to-Domino progression is one of the hour’s defining musical connections. The playlist places Bartholomew’s two selections directly before four recordings by Domino, giving listeners a sustained encounter with the New Orleans rhythm-and-blues current represented by those artists. The sequence is compact but generous, allowing each recording to contribute to a larger opening statement. Rather than interrupting the set with unrelated material, the program lets the connection develop across six consecutive tracks.

Pigmeat Markham’s “The Preacher” arrives next, retaining the title’s presence while changing performers and opening the playlist toward a broader group of artists. Cecil Gant follows with “Hogan’s Alley” and “Peace & Love,” providing another two-recording spotlight. Like the Fats Domino run, this pairing gives the listener more than a single glimpse of an artist. It also creates a natural transition away from the opening New Orleans concentration while preserving the hour’s focus on performers with strong, individual identities.

Charlie Spand’s “Breakdown” moves the hour into a different section, followed by four Alberta Hunter recordings: “I’m Down Right Now,” “Lonesome Monday Morning Blues,” “Vampin’ Brown,” and “If the Rest of the World Don’t Want You.” The Alberta Hunter sequence is the hour’s most extended artist feature. It creates a substantial center of gravity and demonstrates the program’s willingness to devote time to a single performer. The four titles are presented together, allowing her voice to shape a significant stretch of the hour.

Eddie Miller’s “Whoopie” follows the Alberta Hunter set, acting as a concise change of pace before the program’s closing spiritual sequence. The Silverleaf Quartet performs “Beautiful Lamp,” Rev. W. M. Mosley contributes “Preachers Stay Out of Widow’s Houses,” and the Chosen Gospel Singers close with “I’m Going Back with Him.” This final three-track movement changes the hour’s vocal setting once again. After the individual artists and rhythm-and-blues selections heard earlier, the presence of the Silverleaf Quartet and Chosen Gospel Singers gives the conclusion an ensemble dimension.

The gospel material is not treated as an aside. Its position at the end gives the hour a distinct final identity, and the shift is effective precisely because the earlier programming has already moved through several musical approaches. Dave Bartholomew and Fats Domino establish rhythmic drive; Pigmeat Markham and Cecil Gant extend the range; Charlie Spand and Alberta Hunter bring further blues perspectives; Eddie Miller creates a transition; and the final recordings make room for spiritual expression.

Hour 2’s strength is its balance of concentrated artist sets and carefully placed contrast. The four Fats Domino recordings and four Alberta Hunter recordings are not merely long stretches of the same voice; they anchor two different sections of the hour. Between them, Markham, Gant, and Spand keep the program flexible. At the end, the gospel recordings alter the texture again without disconnecting from the broader blues and rhythm-and-blues world.

The result is an hour that carries listeners from Dave Bartholomew’s opening through Fats Domino, Alberta Hunter, and a gospel conclusion with a clear sense of direction. It offers rhythm, blues, vocal groups, and spiritual material in a sequence that remains coherent because every transition has room to breathe. The programming does not need a single narrow theme: its unity comes from the way each artist and set is placed in relation to the next.

Hour 2 Playlist

Little Girl Sing Ding-a-Ling — Dave Bartholomew

Domino Medley — Dave Bartholomew

I’m Walkin’ — Fats Domino

Let the Four Winds Blow — Fats Domino

Ain’t That a Shame — Fats Domino

The Preacher — Fats Domino

The Preacher — Pigmeat Markham

Hogan’s Alley — Cecil Gant

Peace & Love — Cecil Gant

Breakdown — Charlie Spand

I’m Down Right Now — Alberta Hunter

Lonesome Monday Morning Blues — Alberta Hunter

Vampin’ Brown — Alberta Hunter

If the Rest of the World Don’t Want You — Alberta Hunter

Whoopie — Eddie Miller

Beautiful Lamp — Silverleaf Quartet

Preachers Stay Out of Widow’s Houses — Rev W. M.Mosley

I’m Going Back with Him — Chosen Gospel Singers