Hour 2 of Blues Before Sunrise moves through a carefully varied group of blues singers, pianists, and spiritual performers. Saunders King, Roy Hawkins, Cool Papa Smith, Jimmy Witherspoon, Ray Johnson, Louise Johnson, Alberta Hunter, Leroy Carr, Reverend Johnny Blakey, the Five Blind Boys, and Deacon Tom Foger form the hour’s roster. The sequence makes room for recurring artists, especially Hawkins and Witherspoon, before widening toward Alberta Hunter, Leroy Carr, and the spiritual close.

Saunders King’s “Why Was I Born” opens the hour, followed by Roy Hawkins’s “I Walk Alone,” “My Temper Is Rising,” and “Highway 59.” The three Hawkins selections give the beginning a clear center. Rather than moving immediately through a long list of performers, the hour allows Hawkins’s recordings to establish a sustained presence. “You Better Change Your Way” by Cool Papa Smith then shifts the voice and pacing, bringing a new artist into the conversation after the Hawkins sequence.

Jimmy Witherspoon follows with “All My Geets Are Gone,” “Roll On Katy,” and “Strange Woman.” Like the earlier Hawkins run, this three-recording group gives the artist a full section within the hour. Witherspoon’s placement after Cool Papa Smith creates a balance between extended artist sets and single selections. The structure is one of return and contrast: a performer is heard in depth, then the program moves outward again.

Ray Johnson’s “Boogie the Blues” and Louise Johnson’s “On the Wall” make a compact pair before Alberta Hunter takes the program into another extended sequence. “I’m Goin’ Away Just To etc,” “Jazzin’ Baby Blues,” and “Lonesome Monday Morning” provide Hunter with three consecutive recordings. The pacing resembles the earlier Hawkins and Witherspoon sections, but each return to a multi-song artist set has its own place in the hour’s overall shape. The playlist keeps alternating between concentrated attention and fresh names.

Leroy Carr’s “How Longhas the Evening etc,” “Fore Day Rider,” and “Feel Like My Time Ain’t Long” continue the hour’s pattern of three-title sequences. Carr’s placement immediately after Alberta Hunter makes this a substantial central-to-late stretch, one that moves from one prominent artist focus into another without needing a break in the hour’s momentum. The titles are allowed to stand on their own, while the sequence emphasizes the program’s commitment to extended listening rather than quick sampling.

The final section turns toward spiritual material. Reverend Johnny Blakey’s “Bessemer Sunset” and “Four Fourteen Steps to Hell” lead into “When God Dips His Pen” by the Five Blind Boys and “Working on the Building” by Deacon Tom Foger. This conclusion gives the hour a clear change in direction while remaining part of the same broad blues and roots-music landscape. The spiritual close is not treated as an aside; it functions as the hour’s final destination.

What makes Hour 2 especially effective is its patient organization. It does not simply assemble blues recordings around a theme announced in advance. Instead, it uses recurring performers to create anchors, then places those anchors among single selections and concluding spiritual material. Saunders King opens the door, Roy Hawkins and Jimmy Witherspoon establish early weight, Alberta Hunter and Leroy Carr deepen the middle, and the final four selections bring the hour toward a purposeful finish.

The result is a set with a strong internal rhythm. Blues ballads, boogie, artist-focused runs, and spiritual recordings all have room to register. The hour honors each performer by giving the playlist time to unfold, letting its contrasts emerge from the ordering rather than from unnecessary claims beyond the supplied notes.

Hour 2 Playlist

Why Was I Born — Saunders King

I Walk Alone — Roy Hawkins

My Temper Is Rising — Roy Hawkins

Highway 59 — Roy Hawkins

You Better Change Your Way — Cool Papa Smith

All My Geets Are Gone — Jimmy Witherspoon

Roll On Katy — Jimmy Witherspoon

Strange Woman — Jimmy Witherspoon

Boogie the Blues — Ray Johnson

On the Wall — Louise Johnson

I’m Goin’ Away Just To etc — Alberta Hunter

Jazzin’ Baby Blues — Alberta Hunter

Lonesome Monday Morning — Alberta Hunter

How Longhas the Evening etc — Leroy Carr

Fore Day Rider — Leroy Carr

Feel Like My Time Ain’t Long — Leroy Carr

Bessemer Sunset — Rev Johnny Blakey

Four Fourteen Steps to Hell — Rev Johnny Blakey

When God Dips His Pen — Five Blind Boys

Working on the Building — Deacon Tom Foger