Hour Two shifts the energy upward—this is the hour where Blues Before Sunrise leans into the post-war transition from straight blues into jump, early R&B, and the roots of rock ’n’ roll. It’s an hour built around the excitement of packed dance floors, rowdy clubs, and musicians pushing the beat just a little harder as the postwar years stretched into the 1950s.
Jimmy McCracklin starts things off with “Get Tough,” a perfect mixture of West Coast snap and streetwise cool. McCracklin’s piano roll and vocal confidence set the stage for the hour’s jump-blues momentum. The Treniers pick up the torch with “Rock & Roll Call” and “Sugar Doo,” records that remind us just how early they were pushing toward rock ’n’ roll long before the term became standard. Their shout-style vocals and sharp horn charts bring an exuberance that only the Treniers could sustain.
Larry Darnell’s “Boogie Oogie” keeps the temperature up—smooth, rhythmic, and steeped in the nightclub atmosphere that made him one of the era’s biggest draws. Terry Timmons slides in with “He’s the Best in the Business,” a relaxed but subtly intense singer who knew exactly when to lean into a phrase and when to let the band carry the rhythm. Jimmy T-99 Nelson’s “Secondhand Fool” follows, one of his defining performances, full of emotional strain and that unique T-99 vocal tremble.
Roy Hawkins’ “The Thrill Is Gone” appears here in its original form—moody, perfectly phrased, and decades before B.B. King turned it into a global standard. The contrast between Hawkins’ hushed vocal and the tune’s dark harmonic shape gives this part of the hour its emotional anchor.
From there, the set turns toward the rawer, club-band feel of Don & Dewey. “S.K. Jump Pt. 2,” with Saunders King, piles energy on energy, and then Don & Dewey themselves arrive with two stompers: “Jungle Hop” and “Farmer John.” It’s teenage-dancehall energy before teenage-dancehall music even had a name—wild violin, slashing guitar, and straight-ahead rhythm.
The mood shifts toward deeper blues with Jimmy Yancy’s “Two O’Clock Blues,” a classic piece of rolling piano work from one of Chicago’s foundational boogie masters. Lil Green follows with three stellar sides: “99 Blues,” “How Come You Do Me Like You Do,” and “Romance in the Dark.” Her voice—smooth, conversational, and filled with quiet control—adds sophistication to the center of the hour. She could turn almost anything into late-night confession.
Ethel Waters continues that line with “My Kind of Man” and “You Brought a New Kind of Love,” performances that bridge swing, blues, and pop with effortless charm. The Golden Gate Quartet then shifts the tone yet again with “When They Ring the Golden Bells,” bringing a moment of gospel brilliance to the hour—a reminder of how fluidly Black popular music moved between sacred and secular spaces.
Reverend Johnny Blakey’s “From the Parlor to the Pig Pen” reintroduces grit and humor, a down-home sermon-song hybrid that leads naturally into the Dixie Hummingbirds’ “Troubles in My Way.” Their harmonies close the hour in a shining, uplifting frame, reinforcing the deep spiritual roots that ran alongside the emerging sounds of jump blues and early R&B.
Hour Two stands as a portrait of postwar Black music at its most vibrant—swinging, shouting, crooning, testifying, and constantly evolving toward what would soon become full-fledged rock ’n’ roll.
HOUR #2 — PLAYLIST
GET TOUGH — Jimmy McCracklin
ROCK & ROLL CALL — Treniers
SUGAR DOO — Treniers
BOOGIE OOGIE — Larry Darnell
HE’S THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS — Terry Timmons
SECONDHAND FOOL — Jimmy T-99 Nelson
THE THRILL IS GONE — Roy Hawkins
S.K. JUMP PT 2 — Saunders King
JUNGLE HOP — Don & Dewey
FARMER JOHN — Don & Dewey
TWO O’CLOCK BLUES — Jimmy Yancy
99 BLUES — Lil Green
HOW COME YOU DO ME LIKE YOU DO — Lil Green
ROMANCE IN THE DARK — Lil Green
MY KIND OF MAN — Ethel Waters
YOU BROUGHT A NEW KIND OF LOVE — Ethel Waters
WHEN THEY RING THE GOLDEN BELLS — Golden Gate Quartet
FROM THE PARLOR TO THE PIG PEN — Rev. Johnny Blakey
TROUBLES IN MY WAY — Dixie Hummingbirds