Hour 3 gives Blues Before Sunrise its defining feature for August 30: an extended Georgia Tom Dorsey program that traces recordings made under his own name and closes with two religious sides credited to Thomas A. Dorsey. The show notes identify Dorsey as a recording partner of Tampa Red and explain that he made records as Georgia Tom Dorsey before leaving the secular world and becoming one of gospel’s pioneers. The hour follows that premise closely, giving Dorsey the most sustained attention of the five-hour broadcast.

“Eagle Ridin’ Papa” opens the feature, followed by “Grievin’ Me,” “The Darkest Hour,” “Only the Blues,” “Billie the Grinder,” and “Rollin’ Mill Stomp.” The six-song opening establishes the scope of the Dorsey portion through repetition and sequence rather than through a brief biographical detour. Each title stays in view long enough to make the artist’s presence unmistakable. The program has room to move through a substantial number of Dorsey recordings, fulfilling the promise in the notes to play as many sides as time allows.

Kansas City Kitty occupies the middle of the hour with six consecutive recordings: “Doctor Blues,” “Gym’s Too Much for Me,” “Killing Floor Blues,” “That Thing’s a Mess,” “Who’s Been Here Since I Been Gone,” and “How Can You Have the Blues.” This extended interruption does not dilute the Dorsey theme. Instead, it creates a clearly marked middle chapter, allowing another artist a full run before Dorsey resumes the spotlight. Kansas City Kitty’s sequence is long enough to be heard as a set in its own right, not merely as a few scattered additions.

Georgia Tom Dorsey returns with “Then My Gal’s in Town,” “If You Want Me to Love You,” “Maybe It’s the Blues,” and “Talking.” The return is important to the hour’s structure. It makes the Kansas City Kitty block feel like a deliberate central passage, with Dorsey’s recordings on both sides. The program thus balances a focused artist feature with a substantial companion sequence instead of maintaining a uniform pattern for the entire hour.

The final two selections provide the hour’s clearest transition. “If You See My Savior” and “If I Could Hear My Mother” are credited to Thomas A. Dorsey rather than Georgia Tom Dorsey. The show notes specifically describe these as religious sides made before Dorsey left secular recording and became a pioneer of gospel. Their placement at the end gives the hour its resolution without forcing a larger narrative onto any individual song. The change in credit is part of the programming statement: the listener hears the name Georgia Tom Dorsey across the central body of the hour, then Thomas A. Dorsey for the final two sides.

This is a carefully contained special segment. Its opening six Dorsey selections, six-song Kansas City Kitty center, four-song Dorsey return, and two sacred closers give the hour a measured architecture. The source material supports no need to speculate about arrangements, dates, or recording circumstances. What matters is already present in the programming: Dorsey’s own sides are given serious room, Kansas City Kitty is granted a full middle feature, and the hour ends where the show notes direct attention, with Dorsey’s religious recordings.

Within the wider five-hour program, Hour 3 also serves as a bridge. Hour 2 concludes with gospel material, and Hour 3 eventually arrives at Dorsey’s religious sides after an extended secular sequence. Hour 4 then changes direction again with electric blues. The Dorsey feature sits at the center of those shifts, linking the show’s blues programming to its sacred material through the artist named in the weekly notes.

### Playlist

Eagle Ridin’ Papa — Georgia Tom Dorsey

Grievin’ Me — Georgia Tom Dorsey

The Darkest Hour — Georgia Tom Dorsey

Only the Blues — Georgia Tom Dorsey

Billie the Grinder — Georgia Tom Dorsey

Rollin’ Mill Stomp — Georgia Tom Dorsey

Doctor Blues — Kansas City Kitty

Gym’s Too Much for Me — Kansas City Kitty

Killing Floor Blues — Kansas City Kitty

That Thing’s a Mess — Kansas City Kitty

Who’s Been Here Since I Been Gone — Kansas City Kitty

How Can You Have the Blues — Kansas City Kitty

Then My Gal’s in Town — Georgia Tom Dorsey

If You Want Me to Love You — Georgia Tom Dorsey

Maybe It’s the Blues — Georgia Tom Dorsey

Talking — Georgia Tom Dorsey

If You See My Savior — Thomas A. Dorsey

If I Could Hear My Mother — Thomas A. Dorsey