Hour Three of this week’s Blues Before Sunrise travels deep into the foundations of blues music, presenting a remarkable collection of prewar recordings filled with raw emotion, rhythmic invention, and unforgettable storytelling. Moving between Delta blues, ragtime guitar, barrelhouse piano, vaudeville blues, and early harmonica-driven performances, the hour captures the incredible variety of Black American music during the 1920s and 1930s.

Son House opens the hour with the towering “Preachin’ the Blues” Parts I & II, immediately setting an intense emotional tone. His voice sounds urgent and almost overwhelming, while his guitar playing carries a relentless rhythmic drive. Few recordings capture the spiritual and emotional power of Delta blues more completely than these performances.

Calvin Frazier’s “Highway 51” follows with a looser rural groove, while Rev. Gary Davis’ “I’m Throwing Up My Hands” blends sacred feeling with intricate fingerpicked guitar work. Davis always existed in the space between gospel and blues traditions, and his performance adds a reflective quality to the hour.

Blind Blake’s “Seaboard Stomp” introduces dazzling ragtime guitar technique, full of speed, syncopation, and playful complexity. Jimmy Yancy’s “White Sox Stomp” continues the rhythmic momentum through rolling barrelhouse piano, grounding the music in Chicago’s early blues scene.

The middle section of the hour highlights classic female blues voices and jazz-inflected recordings. Ida Cox’s “Chicago Monkey Man,” Viola McCoy’s “Buzzin’ ‘Round,” Virginia Liston’s “Early in the Morning,” and Ruth Coleman’s “Original Charleston Strut” all reflect the crossover between blues, vaudeville, and dance music during the interwar period. These performances feel theatrical, lively, and deeply connected to urban nightlife culture.

Madelyn Davis’ “Land Lady’s Footstep” injects humor and storytelling into the program before Leroy Carr changes the mood with the haunting “Gone Mother Blues” and “Midnight Hour Blues.” Carr’s smooth piano playing and understated vocal delivery create one of the hour’s most emotionally affecting moments. His style would go on to influence generations of blues and rhythm & blues performers.

Jazz Gillum’s harmonica-centered recordings, “You Are Doing Me Wrong” and “It’s All Over Now,” add another layer of texture. His performances feel intimate and conversational, reflecting the street-level realism that defined so much of early blues music.

The hour closes with “Hammer Ring” by Chain Gang, a recording rooted in labor songs and work rhythms. It serves as a powerful reminder that much of the blues tradition emerged directly from lived hardship, physical labor, and survival. The repetitive rhythm and communal feeling connect the music back to older African American oral traditions while pointing forward toward modern blues and gospel forms.

Hour Three works as both entertainment and historical document. These recordings preserve a musical world built long before commercial radio standardized popular music. Every performance carries regional character, personal style, and emotional immediacy, reminding listeners just how broad and inventive early blues truly was.

Playlist – Hour Three

Preachin’ the Blues Parts I & II – Son House
Highway 51 – Calvin Frazier
I’m Throwing Up My Hands – Rev Gary Davis
Seaboard Stomp – Blind Blake
White Sox Stomp – Jimmy Yancy
Chicago Monkey Man – Ida Cox
Buzzin’ ‘Round – Viola McCoy
Early in the Morning – Virginia Liston
Original Charleston Strut – Ruth Coleman
Land Lady’s Footstep – Madelyn Davis
Gone Mother Blues – Leroy Carr
Midnight Hour Blues – Leroy Carr
You Are Doing Me Wrong – Jazz Gillum
It’s All Over Now – Jazz Gillum
Hammer Ring – Chain Gang