The first hour of this week’s Blues Before Sunrise sets the stage with a smooth, swinging blend of jazz and blues that shows just how blurred those genre lines were in the mid-century years. It’s music for late hours and dim lights — for the listener who likes their blues brushed with a bit of brass and class.

The set opens with Erskine Hawkins and his orchestra on “Tippin’ In.” Hawkins’ band was one of the few big swing outfits that kept its groove well into the R&B era. The tune’s rolling rhythm section and bluesy sax breaks laid down a blueprint for the jump blues that would soon follow. From there, we slide into the world of Joe Williams and Count Basie, the perfect marriage of baritone blues and orchestral punch. Williams’ smooth authority on tracks like “My Baby Upset Me,” “The Comeback,” and “I’ve Got a Girl” illustrates why his voice was made for Basie’s precise, propulsive swing.

The tempo cools as Dinah Washington takes the mic. Her trio of performances — “In the Rain,” “How Deep Is the Ocean,” and “Shuckin’ & Jivin’” — captures her range as a singer who could glide from smoky balladry to sly streetcorner sass. Washington never hid her blues roots, even when the arrangements leaned toward pop polish. She remains one of the great interpreters of emotion — her phrasing both sharp and unhurried, her control absolute.

The mood lifts again with The Delta Rhythm Boys, whose tight harmonies turn the ordinary into art. On numbers like “Just a Sittin’ & A Rockin’,” “One-Sided Love Affair,” and “Chilly & Cold,” they showcase how gospel precision could be reimagined for a nightclub audience. Their blend of vocal jazz and rhythm-heavy swing helped pave the way for later vocal groups like The Drifters and The Coasters.

The set continues with Wild Bill Davis, a pioneer of the Hammond organ sound in jazz. His performances on “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” “Land of Dreams,” and “Wailin’ for the Moon Dog” bring church tones and urban drive together in a way that shaped the future of both R&B and soul jazz. Davis’ rhythmic left hand and melodic right hand created an orchestra’s worth of sound from a single instrument.

Returning to the vocal side, Meade Lux Lewis rolls out his classic “Honky Tonk Train Blues,” a piece that reminds us that boogie-woogie piano was once America’s dance soundtrack. Its chugging rhythm imitates a locomotive in full steam, and Lewis rides it with joy and muscle.

The hour wraps with two unexpected delights — Josephine Baker’s “Lonesome Lovesick Blues” and Earl Bostic’s “Flamingo.” Baker, long an icon of elegance and daring, gives her performance the worldly poise of a woman who knew every shade of the blues. Bostic closes the hour with his saxophone soaring into the kind of technicolor sound that could only come from a master of tone and phrasing.

Hour One is a reminder that blues didn’t exist in isolation. It flowed through jazz clubs, dance halls, and studios alike, shaping American popular music from every direction. Each artist here — from Erskine Hawkins to Dinah Washington to Wild Bill Davis — added a piece to the puzzle. Together, they made the night swing.

Hour 1 Playlist

TIPPIN’ IN – ERSKINE HAWKINS

MY BABY UPSET ME – JOE WILLIAMS/BASIE

THE COMEBACK – JOE WILLIAMS/BASIE

I’VE GOT A GIRL – JOE WILLIAMS/BASIE

IN THE RAIN – DINAH WASHINGTON

HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN – DINAH WASHINGTON

SHUCKIN’ & JIVIN’ – DINAH WASHINGTON

JUST A SITTIN’ & A ROCKIN’ – DELTA RHYTHM BOYS

ONE-SIDED LOVE AFFAIR – DELTA RHYTHM BOYS

CHILLY & COLD – DELTA RHYTHM BOYS

NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT – WILD BILL DAVIS

LAND OF DREAMS – WILD BILL DAVIS

WAILIN’ FOR THE MOON DOG – WILD BILL DAVIS

GIMME SOME SKIN – DELTA RHYTHM BOYS

HONKY TONK TRAIN BLUES – MEADE LUX LEWIS

LONESOME LOVESICK BLUES – JOSEPHINE BAKER

FLAMINGO – EARL BOSTIC