Hour Four of Blues Before Sunrise is where the lights are low, the amps are warm, and nobody’s pretending anymore. This is electric blues in its natural habitat — intimate, insistent, and rooted in lived experience. If earlier hours flirted with elegance or memory, Hour Four plants its feet firmly on the floor and tells stories meant to be heard up close.
T-Bone Walker opens the hour with “You’re My Best Poker Hand,” setting a confident, swinging tone. Walker’s guitar work is conversational, every phrase responding to the last, while his vocal delivery balances humor and authority. “Plain Old Down Home Blues” and “West Side Baby” follow, grounding the hour in urban realism. This is blues that knows the neighborhood and names names. With “Sugar on My Mind,” Walker lets melody do the heavy lifting, proving once again why his influence stretches far beyond his own era.
Lightning Hopkins shifts the mood slightly, his performance rawer and more conversational. His guitar feels unfiltered, his voice shaped by experience rather than polish. That looseness flows naturally into Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown’s pair of tracks, “Ain’t That Dandy” and “That’s Your Daddy Yaddy-Yo.” Brown’s playful phrasing and musical versatility bring a sense of humor back into the room without ever sacrificing credibility.
Slim Harpo’s “Late Last Night” and “Strange Love” slow the pulse and deepen the groove. His swamp-inflected delivery feels hypnotic, each repetition tightening the spell. These songs don’t rush; they wait, letting atmosphere do the work. John Lee Hooker follows with “Stop Talking” and “I’m Going Upstairs,” his signature boogie rhythm relentless and intimate. Hooker doesn’t explain — he commands, and the listener follows.
Madonna Martin’s “Rattlesnakin’ Papa” and “I Ain’t the Same Old Fool” bring grit and determination to the hour. Her vocals carry strength without bravado, making her performances feel lived-in and personal. Elmore Nixon’s “Shout & Rock” and “Over Here Pretty Baby” push the rhythm forward again, piano lines bouncing with energy and urgency.
Junior Parker’s “I Feel Alright Again” and “These Kind of Blues” offer a moment of reflection, his smooth delivery easing the tension without draining it. There’s relief here, but it’s cautious — the kind earned through endurance. Al Harrison’s “I Don’t Know Where It’s At” leans into uncertainty, while Jimmy Wilson’s “Call Me a Hound Dog” closes the hour with attitude and bite.
Hour Four captures the blues at its most honest — no ornament, no apology. These are songs built for after midnight, when stories get sharper and truth comes out without being asked. The electricity isn’t just in the instruments; it’s in the way each performer meets the listener head-on.
Hour 4 Playlist
- You’re My Best Poker Hand – T-Bone Walker
- Plain Old Down Home Blues – T-Bone Walker
- West Side Baby – T-Bone Walker
- Sugar on My Mind – Lightning Hopkins
- Ain’t That Dandy – Gatemouth Brown
- That’s Your Daddy Yaddy-Yo – Gatemouth Brown
- Late Last Night – Slim Harpo
- Strange Love – Slim Harpo
- Stop Talking – John Lee Hooker
- I’m Going Upstairs – John Lee Hooker
- Rattlesnakin’ Papa – Madonna Martin
- I Ain’t the Same Old Fool – Madonna Martin
- Shout & Rock – Elmore Nixon
- Over Here Pretty Baby – Elmore Nixon
- I Feel Alright Again – Junior Parker
- These Kind of Blues – Junior Parker
- I Don’t Know Where It’s At – Al Harrison
- Call Me a Hound Dog – Jimmy Wilson