Hour Four of this week’s Blues Before Sunrise dives headfirst into electric blues, bringing together harmonica masters, slide guitar innovators, and gritty postwar performers whose recordings helped define the sound of Chicago blues and modern electric rhythm & blues. After the earlier historical excursions into jazz, gospel, and prewar acoustic blues, this hour arrives with amplified energy, sharper rhythms, and a tougher emotional edge.

Little Walter opens the hour with a commanding trio of recordings: “Shake Dancer,” “Crazy Mixed-Up World,” and “Blue & Lonesome.” His amplified harmonica style completely changed the instrument’s role in blues music, turning it into something fierce, expressive, and almost horn-like in power. These recordings capture Walter at his best—restless, inventive, and emotionally direct.

Sunnyland Slim follows with “Going Back to Memphis,” “That Woman,” and “Sad & Lonesome.” His piano playing and relaxed vocal style create a slower, heavier groove that balances the intensity of the opening set. Sunnyland Slim always sounded deeply rooted in older Delta traditions even while performing within the electric Chicago scene, and that contrast gives his recordings lasting depth.

Elmore James then raises the temperature dramatically with “Can’t Stop Lovin’,” “Hawaiian Boogie,” and “Quarter Past Nine.” His slide guitar tone cuts through the hour like a siren—loud, emotional, and instantly recognizable. James brought raw urgency to everything he recorded, and these tracks demonstrate why his influence stretches across blues, rock, and soul music alike.

Gabriel Brown provides an interesting shift in texture with “I Get Evil,” “Bad Love,” and “Hold That Train.” His recordings carry traces of earlier acoustic blues traditions while still fitting comfortably within the electric atmosphere of the hour. There’s a looseness and spontaneity to his performances that keeps the set from becoming overly polished.

Ray Agee’s quartet of recordings—“Black Night Is Gone,” “The Wobble-Lou,” “Here Lies My Love,” and “Dream Queen”—adds a smoother West Coast rhythm & blues influence. His vocal delivery and arrangements bring a more melodic and soulful feel into the mix while maintaining strong blues foundations.

The hour closes with John Lee Hooker’s “Stomp Boogie” and “Moanin’ Blues,” two performances built around hypnotic rhythm and repetition. Hooker’s style always felt deeply personal and almost trance-like, driven less by formal structure than by groove and emotional momentum. Ending the hour with Hooker feels entirely fitting because his music represents both the roots and future of electric blues.

Hour Four succeeds because it captures blues music during a period of transformation. Amplification, urban migration, independent labels, and postwar nightlife all shaped these recordings. Yet despite the technological and stylistic changes, the emotional core remains the same—loneliness, resilience, humor, desire, and survival expressed through deeply personal performance.

Playlist – Hour Four

Shake Dancer – Little Walter
Crazy Mixed-Up World – Little Walter
Blue & Lonesome – Little Walter
Going Back to Memphis – Sunnyland Slim
That Woman – Sunnyland Slim
Sad & Lonesome – Sunnyland Slim
Can’t Stop Lovin’ – Elmore James
Hawaiian Boogie – Elmore James
Quarter Past Nine – Elmore James
I Get Evil – Gabriel Brown
Bad Love – Gabriel Brown
Hold That Train – Gabriel Brown
Black Night Is Gone – Ray Agee
The Wobble-Lou – Ray Agee
Here Lies My Love – Ray Agee
Dream Queen – Ray Agee
Stomp Boogie – John Lee Hooker
Moanin’ Blues – John Lee Hooker