Hour Five closes out the show with the kind of unforced, after-midnight glide that Blues Before Sunrise does better than anybody. It’s a set built on subtle mood shifts: from harmony-rich vocal groups to jazz sophistication, from modern urban blues to soulful Texas and West Coast flavors, and finally toward a drifting, atmospheric finale that feels like sunrise just beginning to think about showing up.
The Jubilaires ease the hour in with warm, velvety harmonies—an opening that feels like stepping into a quiet room after the rest of the world has gone to sleep. Stan Getz follows with cool-toned elegance, setting up a contemplative pocket for Billy Eckstine and Ernestine Anderson to deepen with their smooth, dignified vocal phrasing. Don Patterson’s organ adds a gentle jolt of soul-jazz electricity, just enough to stir the air without breaking the spell.
From there, Deek Watson’s sides return us to vocal warmth before the set tilts into its blues center of gravity. Fenton Robinson anchors the middle stretch with three consecutive performances that showcase his fluid guitar work and emotionally measured vocal style. Larry Davis and Bobby Bland pick up the thread with songs full of ache and lived-in feeling—perfectly calibrated for late-night listening. Miss LaVelle, Bonita Cole, Long John Hunter, and the Sultans keep that mood alive, each in their own way: soulful, simmering, understated, and human. Ted Taylor and Paul Perryman continue that emotional run with sharp, pleading vocals that feel cut from deep rhythm-and-blues cloth.
And then, because only BBS would dare end a blues-hour this way, the show lifts into the horizon with Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross”—a slow-floating instrumental that feels like the room being gently carried off by a warm breeze. It’s an ending that turns the whole hour into one long exhale.
Hour 5 Playlist
- AS SUMMER TURNS TO FALL — Jubilaires
- I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU — Stan Getz
- NEVER MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN — Billy Eckstine
- THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE ME — Ernestine Anderson
- DEM NEW YORK DUES — Don Patterson
- FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS — Deek Watson
- IT’S A PITY TO SAY GOOD NIGHT — Deek Watson
- AS THE YEARS GO PASSING BY — Fenton Robinson
- CRAZY CRAZY LOVE — Fenton Robinson
- TENNESSEE WOMAN — Fenton Robinson
- I TRIED — Larry Davis
- BUILDING FIRE WITH RAIN — Bobby Bland
- STOLEN LOVE — Miss LaVelle
- BONITA’S BLUES — Bonita Cole
- SHE USE TO BE MY WOMAN — Long John Hunter
- DON’T PUT ME DOWN — Sultans
- HOLD ME TIGHT — Ted Taylor
- WORK TO BE DONE — Paul Perryman
- ALBATROSS — Fleetwood Mac