This hour lives at the crossroads of the sacred and the profane. It opens with the hard-driving boogie of Big Joe Turner, whose “Married Woman Blues” sets a raw, confessional tone. Then, Camille Howard storms in with a pair of piano-slamming jump blues numbers—her blend of gospel-inflected delivery and boogie-woogie chops makes her a standout among early post-war women artists.
Annie Laurie’s heartbreaking “Since I Fell For You” slows the tempo with deep, emotive phrasing, a timeless torch song that became a standard. From there, Cecil Gant brings a cocktail-lounge coolness with a pair of underappreciated sides, showing the breadth of blues storytelling.
The hour gets cheeky and bold with Little Caesar and Bob Robinson, both pushing lyrical boundaries with innuendo-laced titles like “Preacher Must Get Some Sometime” and “Don’t Put That Thing In Me.” These are classic examples of double entendre blues—humor masking real-life hardship.
Ethel Waters provides a spiritual turning point. A giant in both gospel and early jazz, her songs here—“He Brought Joy To The World” and “Take What You Want”—are devotional but never preachy. Then it’s full-tilt gospel with The Carolinians, Heavenly Gospel Singers, Rev. Beaumont, and the majestic harmony powerhouses Spirit of Memphis Quartet and Dixie Hummingbirds. This transition from barrelhouse to choir loft mirrors the full spectrum of African American musical expression in the early-to-mid 20th century.
Playlist:
- MARRIED WOMAN BLUES – BIG JOE TURNER
- MR FINE – CAMILLE HOWARD
- PACK YOUR SACK JACK – CAMILLE HOWARD
- SINCE I FELL FOR YOU – ANNIE LAURIE
- HIT THAT JIVE JACK – CECIL GANT
- HOW CAN I SLEEP – CECIL GANT
- TALKING TO MYSELF – LITTLE CAESAR
- PREACHER MUST GET SOME SOMETIME – BOB ROBINSON
- DON’T PUT THAT THING IN ME – BOB ROBINSON
- THE BOY IN THE BOAT – GEORGE HANNAH
- HE BROUGHT JOY TO THE WORLD – ETHEL WATERS
- TAKE WHAT YOU WANT – ETHEL WATERS
- PRECIOUS LORD – CAROLINIANS
- THE LORD GOD IS MY SHEPHERD – HEAVENLY GOSPEL SINGERS
- NOAH BUILT THE ARK PTS I & II – REV BEAUMONT
- THE DAY IS PASSED & GONE – SPIRIT OF MEMPHIS QUARTET
- I’LL FOREVER STAND – DIXIE HUMMINGBIRDS