Hour 4 is the week’s special presentation, built around the exceptional group of blues singers and musicians born in 1915. Blues Before Sunrise calls this gathering the Class of 1915, and the roster is striking: Muddy Waters, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Johnny Shines, Memphis Slim, Mercy Dee Walton, Wynonie Harris, Lil Son Jackson, Brownie McGhee, Josh White, Calvin Frazier, Honeyboy Edwards, and Willie Dixon are all named in the show notes. The hour charts the various birthdates while using that shared year as an occasion to hear recordings by a generation whose careers were, in different ways, intertwined.

Calvin Frazier begins the musical portion with “Lily Mae,” followed by Robert Jr. Lockwood’s “Steady Rollin’ Man.” The pairing immediately introduces two of the Class of 1915 artists named in the program’s premise. Muddy Waters’ “Still a Fool” follows, then Johnny Shines’ “Ride Ride Mama.” These selections place four major figures in succession, making the special’s organizing idea audible rather than merely announced. The hour does not rely on a chronological survey of the recordings; instead, it uses a flowing playlist to bring the class together.

Good Rockin’ Robinson’s “L.C.’s Shuffle” and John Lee’s “Alabama Boogie” expand the hour beyond the birth-year roster before Honeyboy Edwards returns the focus to the Class of 1915 with “Spread My Raincoat Down.” Willie Dixon follows with “Ain’t Gonna Be Your Monkey Man,” then Lil Son Jackson contributes “Gone with the Wind.” Each return to a 1915-born artist reinforces the special without making the hour feel like a simple sequence of biographical entries. The artists are heard through individual recordings, and the surrounding selections create room for contrast.

Mercy Dee’s “Have You Ever Been Out in the Country” continues the Class of 1915 survey, while Memphis Slim’s “The Grinder Man” brings another central name from the show notes into the hour. Conrad Johnson’s “Howling on Dowling” follows, then Brownie McGhee’s “Big Leg Woman” restores the special’s main thread. The movement between featured class members and related performers gives the hour a flexible, musical shape. It recognizes the distinguished shared year while allowing the programming to remain a radio set rather than a roster reading.

Wynonie Harris appears with “Good Morning Judge,” a placement that broadens the hour’s vocal character. Joe Liggins’ “I Got a Right to Cry,” Gene Phillips’ “It’s Raining,” Buddy Johnson’s “Did You See Jackie Robinson,” and Mabel Scott’s “Give Me a Man” make up the closing sequence. These final recordings demonstrate that the special is not confined to one presentation style. The hour can move from a named Class of 1915 artist to other performers while preserving the larger sense of blues and rhythm-and-blues community established by the show notes.

The special’s strength lies in its balance between focus and variety. Calvin Frazier, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Muddy Waters, Johnny Shines, Honeyboy Edwards, Willie Dixon, Lil Son Jackson, Mercy Dee, Memphis Slim, Brownie McGhee, and Wynonie Harris all receive space, yet none is treated as an isolated monument. Their recordings are presented amid a larger selection of musicians whose work keeps the hour moving through changing tempos, voices, and approaches.

The Class of 1915 theme also gives listeners a useful way to hear the blues as a field of overlapping careers rather than a collection of disconnected names. The show notes emphasize that these singers’ paths were intertwined to some degree, and the playlist makes that idea tangible through adjacency. “Lily Mae,” “Steady Rollin’ Man,” “Still a Fool,” and “Ride Ride Mama” establish a powerful opening run; the later appearances by Honeyboy Edwards, Willie Dixon, Lil Son Jackson, Mercy Dee, Memphis Slim, Brownie McGhee, and Wynonie Harris extend the idea across the full hour.

By the time Mabel Scott closes the set, the special has honored a remarkable birth-year cohort without narrowing its musical scope. Hour 4 remains firmly rooted in blues, but it also accommodates boogie, shuffle, rhythm and blues, and a range of vocal styles. It is an hour that treats the Class of 1915 not as a static historical category, but as a living programming lens through which a remarkable group of recordings can be heard together.

Hour 4 Playlist

Lily Mae — Calvin Frazier

Steady Rollin’ Man — Robert Jr.Lockwood

Still a Fool — Muddy Waters

Ride Ride Mama — Johnny Shines

L.C.’s Shuffle — Good Rockin’ Robinson

Alabama Boogie — John Lee

Spread My Raincoat Down — Honeyboy Edwards

Ain’t Gonna Be Your Monkey Man — Willie Dixon

Gone with the Wind — Lil Son Jackson

Have You Ever Been Out in the Country — Mercy Dee

The Grinder Man — Memphis Slim

Howling on Dowling — Conrad Johnson

Big Leg Woman — Brownie McGhee

Good Morning Judge — Wynonie Harris

I Got a Right to Cry — Joe Liggins

It’s Raining — Gene Phillips

Did You See Jackie Robinson — Buddy Johnson

Give Me a Man — Mabel Scott