Hour Three of Blues Before Sunrise strips the music down to its essential elements. This is where the polish disappears, replaced by raw voice, hard rhythm, and stories shaped by necessity rather than design. These recordings aren’t performances so much as documents — snapshots of artists capturing something urgent before it slipped away. If earlier hours leaned urban or electric, Hour Three turns back toward the source.
Robert Johnson opens the hour with “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” and “Terraplane Blues,” two pillars of the blues canon. Johnson’s guitar work is sharp and driving, his voice both distant and immediate. These songs don’t explain themselves; they move forward with purpose, pulling the listener along. Tommy McClennan’s “Deep Blue Sea Blues” follows with brute force and intensity, his vocal delivery raw and relentless, offering contrast without relief.
Robert Wilkins’ “Falling Down Blues” slows the pace slightly, introducing reflection without softening the edge. Little Brother Montgomery’s “Vicksburg Blues” adds piano-driven authority, grounding the hour in rhythm and history. Bessie Smith’s “Preachin’ the Blues” brings humor and power together, her voice commanding attention while bending sacred language toward secular ends.
The collaboration between George Brown and Bessie Smith on “Hit Me But Don’t Quit Me” is playful yet dangerous, a reminder that the blues has always been unafraid to walk uncomfortable lines. Martha Copeland’s “Daddy U Put Done That Thing on Me” continues that tradition, blending desire and wit with unmistakable confidence. Viola McCoy’s “Slow Up Papa” adds charm and personality, her phrasing both teasing and firm.
Julia Moody’s “The Cootie Crawl” lightens the mood just enough, its dance-driven rhythm hinting at communal release. But the gravity returns quickly with Leroy Carr’s “Sloppy Drunk” and “How Long Has the Evening Train Been Gone.” Carr’s smooth delivery masks deep loneliness, his piano lines offering structure to emotional chaos. These are songs about waiting — for love, for escape, for change.
Carolina Slim’s “Your Picture Done Faded” feels like memory dissolving in real time, while Black Ace’s “Whiskey & Wimmin” delivers blunt honesty without apology. The hour expands briefly with “You Got to Be Modernistic,” a snapshot of New Orleans sophistication that reminds listeners the blues has always absorbed its surroundings.
The Hall Johnson Choir’s “Water Boy” introduces spiritual weight, not as contrast but as continuation. Faith and fatigue share the same breath here. Eddie Miller’s “School Days” closes the hour with bittersweet reflection, youth remembered from a distance that feels both tender and irreversible.
Hour Three is the spine of the show. Without it, nothing else stands. These songs carry the weight of experience without decoration, proving that the blues doesn’t need amplification to be powerful — it only needs honesty.
Hour 3 Playlist
- I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom – Robert Johnson
- Terraplane Blues – Robert Johnson
- Deep Blue Sea Blues – Tommy McClennan
- Falling Down Blues – Robert Wilkins
- Vicksburg Blues – Little Brother Montgomery
- Preachin’ the Blues – Bessie Smith
- Hit Me But Don’t Quit Me – George Brown & Bessie Smith
- Daddy U Put Done That Thing on Me – Martha Copeland
- Slow Up Papa – Viola McCoy
- The Cootie Crawl – Julia Moody
- Sloppy Drunk – Leroy Carr
- How Long Has the Evening Train Been Gone – Leroy Carr
- Your Picture Done Faded – Carolina Slim
- Whiskey & Wimmin – Black Ace
- You Got to Be Modernistic – Great Day in New Orleans
- Water Boy – Hall Johnson Choir
- School Days – Eddie Miller