Hour 4 brings Blues Before Sunrise back to a direct blues concentration after the Furniture Mart feature, but the hour does not move in a straight line. Its playlist gathers performers whose names carry different associations within the broader blues field, then places them in a sequence that favors momentum and contrast. Babyface Leroy’s “Boll Weevil” starts the hour, with Little Walter’s “Moonshine Blues” following close behind. Willie Long-Time Smith, John Brim, and Memphis Slim extend the opening section through “Homeless Blues,” “Lifetime Blues,” “Throw This Poor Dog a Bone,” and “The Comeback.”

Memphis Slim receives two consecutive selections, “Throw This Poor Dog a Bone” and “The Comeback,” before Lonnie Johnson takes over for another two-recording passage. “Keep What You Got” and “Watch Shorty” make Johnson the next artist heard more than once in immediate succession. Those paired stretches give the hour a sense of shape without relying on a stated theme beyond the playlist itself. The program allows each name to remain present for more than one selection, then moves on before the hour becomes a single-artist feature.

Tarheel Slim’s “#9 Train” changes the personnel again, leading into three recordings by Sticks McGhee: “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-De-O-Dee,” “Venus Blues,” and “She’s Gone Rock Away.” McGhee’s three-song grouping is the hour’s largest early cluster, and its placement creates a clear center section. Buster Brown’s “Fannie Mae” follows, then Gatemouth Brown receives three consecutive selections: “She Winked Her Eye,” “Midnight Hour,” and “Gate Walks to Board.” The program’s sequence repeatedly builds these small artist-focused blocks, making the hour feel arranged rather than simply accumulated.

The final portion turns to Alex Moore, Robert Shaw, and Robert Pete Williams. Moore’s “Pretty Woman with a Sack Dress” leads to Shaw’s “Ma Grinder,” while “I’m Lonesome” is attributed to Robert Pete Williams in the supplied playlist. The closing trio does not arrive with explanatory notes, so the value of the passage lies in its placement: after a sequence of multiple recordings by Sticks McGhee and Gatemouth Brown, the hour finishes by narrowing to individual selections from three artists.

This is also an hour where the playlist’s titles are often vivid, but the program should not be read as a set of literal story summaries. The source provides names and titles, not descriptions of subject matter, recording sessions, or arrangements. The strongest editorial observation comes from the programming itself. Blues Before Sunrise moves from a brisk opening of individual performers to paired and three-song runs, then returns to one-song appearances at the end. That pattern keeps the hour active while making room for different voices.

The material also creates a useful bridge between the historical special in Hour 3 and the jazz-and-blues close of Hour 5. There is no announced feature here, and the lack of a framing premise gives the tracks space to work as a broad blues set. Babyface Leroy and Little Walter establish the opening; Memphis Slim and Lonnie Johnson receive paired attention; Sticks McGhee and Gatemouth Brown become the hour’s longest clusters; and Moore, Shaw, and Robert Pete Williams bring it home. The result is a blues hour built from deliberate changes of focus, not from a single prescribed mood.

Hour 4 Playlist

Boll Weevil — Babyface Leroy

Moonshine Blues — Little Walter

Homeless Blues — Willie Long-Time Smith

Lifetime Blues — John Brim

Throw This Poor Dog a Bone — Memphis Slim

The Comeback — Memphis Slim

Keep What You Got — Lonnie Johnson

Watch Shorty — Lonnie Johnson

#9 Train — Tarheel Slim

Drinkin’ Wine Spo-De-O-Dee — Sticks McGhee

Venus Blues — Sticks McGhee

She’s Gone Rock Away — Sticks McGhee

Fannie Mae — Buster Brown

She Winked Her Eye — Gatemouth Brown

Midnight Hour — Gatemouth Brown

Gate Walks to Board — Gatemouth Brown

Pretty Woman with a Sack Dress — Alex Moore

Ma Grinder — Robert Shaw

I’m Lonesome — Robert Pete Williams