Hour Two of this week’s Blues Before Sunrise bridges eras and emotions, moving gracefully from postwar sophistication to raw spiritual expression. It’s an hour where crooners, comedians, and church singers all share the same airspace—proof that the blues, at its heart, has always been a conversation between the secular and the sacred. Steve Cushing curates a set that flows naturally, tracing a line from nightclub melancholy to revival-tent fervor without ever losing its rhythm.

The hour opens with Charles Brown’s “Rocks in My Bed,” an aching ballad that exemplifies Brown’s quiet mastery. His delivery is as smooth as silk and twice as deep, blending blues with cocktail jazz in a way that made him one of the postwar era’s most sophisticated stylists. Brown’s restrained emotion contrasts perfectly with the earthy energy that follows from Tiny Bradshaw’s “Bodie Green,” a swinging slice of R&B grit that shows the jump blues spirit still alive and kicking.

Paul Gayten’s “Oo-Lala” and Annie Laurie’s “I’ll Never Be Free” capture the New Orleans flavor that defined much of early rhythm and blues. Gayten’s piano-driven grooves radiate warmth, while Laurie’s voice brings emotional authority and a touch of gospel phrasing to a love song tinged with resignation. Their partnership—both musical and professional—helped bridge the sound of wartime swing to the dawn of rock ’n’ roll.

Then comes the poet laureate of postwar blues, Percy Mayfield, with a double dose of introspection in “You Don’t Exist Anymore” and “Look the Whole World Over.” Mayfield’s lyrics read like short stories—haunted, literate, and deeply human. His smooth phrasing and melancholy wit offer a different kind of blues, one that whispers rather than shouts. Each line feels like it was lived before it was sung.

Pigmeat Markham’s “Go Ahead & Sing” injects levity and charm. Markham, a pioneering African American comedian and performer, uses humor to underscore the spirit of endurance in Black entertainment—a theme that runs parallel to the blues itself. That blend of laughter and lament feels like a hinge in the hour’s mood, leading naturally to the rich female soul of Tina Dixon’s “What I Say,” Sarah McLawler’s “I’m Just Another One,” Margie Day’s “That’s the Way Love Goes,” and Mildred Anderson’s “I’m Free.”

Each of these performances captures a different shade of womanhood in mid-century rhythm and blues—bold, tender, defiant, and reflective. Anderson’s “I’m Free” in particular stands out: a declaration of independence wrapped in sultry phrasing, as if she’s singing herself into liberation.

From there, the set glides back in time to Leroy Carr, one of the original architects of the urban blues sound. “Court Room Blues” and “My Woman’s Gone Wrong” show Carr’s conversational tone and effortless sophistication. His easy piano style and lyrical realism laid the groundwork for the smooth phrasing later perfected by Brown and Mayfield, tying this hour’s narrative full circle.

The final stretch takes us into the realm of spirit. Ethel Waters’s “Second Handed Man” adds theatrical flair and subtle bite before the transition to gospel proper with the Belmont Silvertone Singers on “Brother My Way Seems Cloudy.” Their harmonies, both yearning and serene, mark a shift from human heartache to heavenly hope. Reverend P.W. Williams’s “Testifying Meeting, Parts I & II” captures the unfiltered fervor of a live service—voices lifted, congregation shouting, faith in full swing. The hour closes with the Spirit of Memphis on “Everytime I Feel the Spirit,” sealing the journey with a burst of joy and devotion.

This hour’s emotional arc—from the nightclub to the pulpit—embodies the blues’ full spectrum. It’s not just music for sadness or celebration; it’s the soundtrack of survival.

Hour 2 Playlist

ROCKS IN MY BED – CHARLES BROWN

BODIE GREEN – TINY BRADSHAW

OO-LALA – PAUL GAYTEN

I’LL NEVER BE FREE – ANNIE LAURIE

YOU DON’T EXIST ANYMORE – PERCY MAYFIELD

LOOK THE WHOLE WORLD OVER – PERCY MAYFIELD

GO AHEAD & SING – PIGMEAT MARKHAM

WHAT I SAY – TINA DIXON

I’M JUST ANOTHER ONE – SARAH McLAWLER

THAT’S THE WAY LOVE GOES – MARGIE DAY

I’M FREE – MILDRED ANDERSON

COURT ROOM BLUES – LEROY CARR

MY WOMAN’S GONE WRONG – LEROY CARR

SECOND HANDED MAN – ETHEL WATERS

BROTHER MY WAY SEEMS CLOUDY – BELMONT SILVERTONES

TESTIFYING MEETING PTS I & II – REV. P.W. WILLIAMS

EVERYTIME I FEEL THE SPIRIT – SPIRIT OF MEMPHIS