Howlin’ Wolf sets the terms for Hour 4 with a three-song opening sequence: “Smokestack Lightning,” “Who’s Been Talking,” and “Evil.” The programming makes an immediate commitment to a forceful post-war blues sound, but it also makes room for contrast almost as soon as that opening passage ends. Snooky Pryor’s “Boogie Twist” changes the pace, and Jimmy Rogers’ “Ludella” follows before Floyd Jones’ “Overseas” continues the movement through a tightly chosen run of blues performances.

The hour’s structure relies on quick changes of voice and artist rather than a single extended set after the opening. Jr. Wells appears with “Blues Hit Big Town,” Earl Hooker follows with “The Moon Is Rising,” and B.B. King enters with “You Didn’t Want Me.” These selections are placed one after another without supplied commentary, but their order clearly broadens the hour after the concentrated Howlin’ Wolf opening. Each artist gets a defined place in the sequence, and the program does not overstay with any one approach.

Johnny Ace’s “Trouble Me” continues that succession, followed by Mary Sue’s “Everybody’s Talkin’” and Little Milton’s “If You Love Me.” The progression keeps the hour centered on singers and song forms while leaving room for the contrasting presence of Earl Hooker and B.B. King. Blues Before Sunrise does not need to label the sequence as a survey of particular substyles for it to work. The playlist itself makes the case through the number of distinct voices and the care with which they are placed.

Billy “The Kid” Emerson’s “The Woodchuck” and Lonnie “The Cat”’s “I Ain’t Drunk” bring the hour toward a more compact, rhythm-and-blues-minded stretch. Ike Turner’s “Loosely” follows, then the Flairs appear with “You Were Untrue.” The latter placement is especially useful in an hour otherwise dominated by individual artists: it creates a change in vocal texture before Bobby Bland closes the program segment with two selections, “Sittin’ on a Poor Man’s Throne” and “When You Come to the End of Your Road.”

That two-song Bobby Bland finish gives the hour a firm conclusion. As in the Howlin’ Wolf opening, consecutive selections establish a contained artist feature without turning the hour into a formal tribute. The framing is balanced: a three-song beginning, an extended middle of individual appearances, and a two-song close. In between are performances associated with harmonica, guitar, blues singing, vocal group work, and rhythm-and-blues. The program’s movement feels organized without becoming rigid.

This hour also provides a useful contrast with the pre-war material in Hour 3. The preceding hour draws on Calvin Frazier, Charley Patton, Big Joe Williams, Little Brother Montgomery, and other early performers. Hour 4 does not repeat that approach. It arrives with Howlin’ Wolf and moves through a later blues language, with artists such as Snooky Pryor, Jimmy Rogers, Jr. Wells, B.B. King, Little Milton, and Bobby Bland carrying the sequence. The show makes the difference through programming, not through unnecessary claims about dates, labels, or personnel.

The result is an hour with a clear center of gravity and a wide range of voices around it. Howlin’ Wolf commands the entrance, Bobby Bland takes the exit, and the selections between them keep the tension alive by refusing to settle into one performer or one mood for too long. It is a direct, carefully paced hour that gives the five-hour show one of its strongest blues-focused stretches.

Hour 4 Playlist

Smokestack Lightning — Howling Wolf

Who’s Been Talking — Howling Wolf

Evil — Howling Wolf

Boogie Twist — Snooky Pryor

Ludella — Jimmy Rogers

Overseas — Floyd Jones

Blues Hit Big Town — Jr Wells

The Moon Is Rising — Earl Hooker

You Didn’t Want Me — B.B. King

Trouble Me — Johnny Ace

Everybody’s Talkin’ — Mary Sue

If You Love Me — Little Milton

The Woodchuck — Billy the Kid Emerson

I Ain’t Drunk — Lonnie the Cat

Loosely — Ike Turner

You Were Untrue — Flairs

Sittin’ on a Poor Man’s Throne — Bobby Bland

When You Come to the End of Your Road — Bobby Bland