Hour Four of this week’s Blues Before Sunrise dives deep into the electric veins of Chicago blues in the postwar years—a rough-edged, amplified world of bottleneck slide guitars, wailing harmonicas, and raw, emotional storytelling. The set centers on five key figures and groups who kept the city’s blues pulse pounding in the ‘50s and early ‘60s: Elmore James, Earl Hooker, Johnny Littlejohn, The Big Three Trio, and Smokey Smothers. Together, their recordings trace how the South Side sound evolved into a distinct, electrified idiom that would inspire generations to come.

The hour opens with Earl Hooker’s “Tanya”, a sterling example of his silky touch and complex phrasing. Hooker—known for his slide technique that blended blues tonality with jazz-like precision—was a musician’s musician. “Tanya,” though instrumental, speaks volumes; his phrasing tells its own story, communicating heartbreak, mischief, and defiance without a single lyric.

From there, the spotlight turns to Elmore James, the high priest of the electric slide guitar. His set—“She Just Won’t Do Right,” “Stormy Monday,” “Country Boogie,” and others—captures the full range of his style. “Stormy Monday” pays homage to T-Bone Walker’s slow-burn classic but with Elmore’s trademark metallic intensity. “Country Boogie” is one of his lesser-heard titles, full of that infectious rhythm that would shape the rock ‘n’ roll that followed. Elmore’s voice—pleading and commanding in equal measure—anchors these tracks, showing why he became the template for electric blues vocalists from Chicago to London.

Johnny Littlejohn follows with “I Had a Dream,” a deep cut that reveals his understated genius. Littlejohn came up on the same scene as Muddy Waters and Elmore, often overshadowed by bigger names, but his guitar work had a haunting, almost conversational tone. His recordings for the Argo and Checker labels in the early ‘60s stand as some of the finest examples of late-period Chicago blues before the British Invasion brought a new audience to the genre.

The Big Three Trio—featuring Willie Dixon on bass—represent a bridge between the jump blues of the 1940s and the heavier postwar style. On “If the Sea Was Whiskey” and “Cool Kind Woman,” they mix polished harmonies with sly, urbane lyrics. Dixon’s presence looms large—not just as a player but as a songwriter who would later pen anthems for Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Little Walter. These early Trio sides show him sharpening his wit and groove long before Chess Records made him a legend.

Smokey Smothers’ “Ain’t Gonna Be Your Monkey Man” returns things to the juke joint. Smokey—an under-recognized powerhouse on the Chicago circuit—had a grit that kept his sound grounded in the Delta even as he plugged in. He was one of the last great linkages between the acoustic postwar tradition and the full-throttle electric explosion.

As the hour rolls on, Jerry McCain lights things up with “She’s Tough,” “The Jig’s Up,” and “Turn Your Damper Down.” McCain’s harmonica style was sharp and humorous, straddling the line between blues and R&B. His output for Excello Records influenced everyone from Kim Wilson to Rick Estrin, combining a wicked groove with a wink and a smile.

Finally, the set winds down with a triple shot of Roscoe Gordon and Billy the Kid Emerson—both of whom helped define the Memphis-to-Chicago connection. Gordon’s “Real Pretty Mama” and “Do the Chicken” bring his signature offbeat shuffle, a rhythm that helped shape early reggae decades later. Billy the Kid Emerson’s “Something for Nothin’” and “Cherry Pie” close the hour on a tough, playful note, showing how blues could be both sly and sophisticated.

Hour Four is more than a sequence of records—it’s a living document of a time when Chicago was the undisputed capital of electric blues. These are the sounds that shaped modern music, from soul and rock to funk and beyond.

HOUR #4 PLAYLIST – OCTOBER 19, 2025

TANYA – EARL HOOKER

SHE JUST WON’T DO RIGHT – ELMORE JAMES

STORMY MONDAY – ELMORE JAMES

COUNTRY BOOGIE – ELMORE JAMES

I HAD A DREAM – JOHNNY LITTLEJOHN

IF THE SEA WAS WHISKEY – BIG THREE TRIO

COOL KIND WOMAN – BIG THREE TRIO

AIN’T GONNA BE YOUR MONKEY MAN – BIG THREE TRIO

AIN’T GONNA BE YOUR MONKEY MAN – SMOKEY SMOTHERS

SHE’S TOUGH – JERRY McCAIN

THE JIG’S UP – JERRY McCAIN

TURN YOUR DAMPER DOWN – JERRY McCAIN

REAL PRETTY MAMA – ROSCOE GORDON

NEW ORLEANS LA. – ROSCOE GORDON

LET’S GET HIGH – ROSCOE GORDON

DO THE CHICKEN – ROSCOE GORDON

DO THE CHICKEN – BILLY THE KID EMERSON

SOMETHING FOR NOTHIN’ – BILLY THE KID EMERSON

DON’T BE CARELESS – BILLY THE KID EMERSON

CHERRY PIE – BILLY THE KID EMERSON