Hour Two of Blues Before Sunrise is where the show widens its stance. This is the crossroads hour — jump blues rubbing shoulders with early R&B, blues shouters sharing space with sanctified gospel voices. It’s an hour that captures the moment when blues began stretching outward, absorbing swing rhythms, urban energy, and spiritual urgency without losing its emotional core.

The set opens with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and “Temptation,” a performance that balances theatrical menace with genuine feeling. Hawkins’ voice doesn’t just sing the song — it inhabits it, setting a tone of unpredictability that carries through the hour. From there, Joe Liggins steps in with “Sibony” and “Loosiana,” bringing West Coast swing into focus. Liggins’ band sound is relaxed but insistent, perfectly suited for late-night listening with a pulse.

Dave Bartholomew’s “The Golden Rule” acts as a hinge between eras, its New Orleans sensibility pointing directly toward the R&B explosion that would soon follow. That forward momentum is checked — beautifully — by Cecil Gant, whose “Good Man But a Poor Man” and “Take It & Git” strip things back to piano, voice, and lived experience. Gant’s performances feel confessional, like he’s leaning across the microphone to tell you something important.

The female voices in this hour are particularly striking. Little Miss Sharecropper, Lena Gordon, Louise Williams, Thelma Lock, and Bonnie Davis each bring distinct emotional textures, from playful defiance to quiet heartbreak. These records remind us how central women were in shaping blues and R&B, even when history tried to minimize their roles.

The energy spikes again with Stump Johnson’s “Ducks Yas-Yas-Yas” and “Snitcher’s Blues,” records that combine humor, bravado, and raw honesty. Johnson’s delivery feels spontaneous and dangerous, like anything could happen next — and often did.

The hour closes in sacred territory. Ethel Waters bridges secular and spiritual worlds with elegance, while Rev. A.W. Nix, the Four Great Wonders, and the Pilgrim Travelers remind us how deeply entwined blues and gospel truly are. The line between Saturday night and Sunday morning has always been thin, and Hour Two walks it with purpose.

Hour 2 Playlist

TEMPTATION – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

SIBONY – Joe Liggins

LOOSIANA – Joe Liggins

THE GOLDEN RULE – Dave Bartholomew

GOOD MAN BUT A POOR MAN – Cecil Gant

TAKE IT & GIT – Cecil Gant

TAKE OUT SOME TIME – Little Miss Sharecropper

DON’T TEACH ME TO MAMBO – Lena Gordon

LONELY DAYS – Louise Williams

LOVE ME TONIGHT – Thelma Lock

ANGRY – Bonnie Davis

DUCKS YAS-YAS-YAS – Stump Johnson

SNITCHER’S BLUES – Stump Johnson

WHEN YOUR LOVER HAS GONE – Ethel Waters

PLEASE DON’T TALK ABOUT ME – Ethel Waters

HE’S SWEET I KNOW – Four Great Wonders

A STRANGE THING TO ME – Rev. A.W. Nix

JESUS TRAVELS – Pilgrim Travelers