Hour Four of Blues Before Sunrise – Annual Christmas Program #2 is where Christmas sheds its velvet gloves and steps onto the bandstand with an amplifier humming. This hour mirrors its counterpart from the previous week, but it doesn’t feel like repetition—it feels like reinforcement. The message is clear: electric blues owns Christmas just as much as carols do.

Jesse Thomas opens with “Christmas Celebration,” a title that promises joy but delivers it with grit. Eddie C. Campbell’s “Santa’s Messin’ with the Kid” immediately follows, keeping things grounded in blues reality. Santa isn’t a saint here—he’s a character, capable of mistakes, mischief, and misunderstanding.

B.B. King’s “Christmas Celebration” adds polish and authority, showing how effortlessly the blues adapts to seasonal themes. Albert King’s “Santa Claus Needs Some Lovin’” then tilts the hour toward humor and desire, reminding us that even mythical figures need affection and understanding.

Sonny Boy Williamson II again commands the center of the hour with “Sonny Boy’s Christmas Blues” and “Santa Claus.” His delivery is sly, conversational, and unmistakably human—Christmas filtered through experience rather than fantasy. These songs don’t beg for attention; they earn it.

Lee Jackson’s “The Christmas Song” resets the mood briefly before Clyde Lasley’s infamous “Santa Claus Came Home Drunk” steals the spotlight. It’s outrageous, funny, and perfectly suited to the blues tradition of telling uncomfortable truths with a grin.

A brief interlude of “Holiday Greetings” from various artists acts like a palate cleanser before the hour leans hard into electric blues royalty. Robert Nighthawk’s “Merry Christmas Baby” glides with precision and menace, followed by Howlin’ Wolf’s “Howling for My Baby,” a reminder that raw emotion never takes a holiday.

John Lee Hooker’s “Blues for Christmas” slows the tempo without losing intensity. Gus Jenkins’ “Remember Last Christmas” and Lowell Fulson’s “Lonesome Christmas Blues” deepen the emotional pull, offering memory and solitude as recurring themes.

Ralph Willis’ “Christmas Blues” keeps the hour grounded before Lightning Hopkins’ “Santa” brings Texas grit and conversational honesty back into the mix. Hopkins sounds like he’s talking directly to the listener—no myth, no polish, just truth.

The hour closes exactly as it should: Chuck Berry’s “Run Run Rudolph” racing toward the finish line, Freddy King’s “I Hear Jingle Bells” ringing loud and sharp, and Clarence Garlow’s “Let Me Be Your Santa” ending things with swagger and suggestion.

Hour Four is Christmas for listeners who prefer their cheer amplified. It’s loud, funny, sharp-edged, and unapologetically blues-driven. Santa may be involved, but the guitars are in charge.

Playlist – Hour 4 (12/21/25)

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION – Jesse Thomas

SANTA’S MESSIN’ WITH THE KID – Eddie C. Campbell

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION – B.B. King

SANTA CLAUS NEEDS SOME LOVIN’ – Albert King

SONNY BOY’S CHRISTMAS BLUES – Sonny Boy Williamson II

SANTA CLAUS – Sonny Boy Williamson II

THE CHRISTMAS SONG – Lee Jackson

SANTA CLAUS CAME HOME DRUNK – Clyde Lasley

HOLIDAY GREETINGS – Various Artists

MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY – Robert Nighthawk

HOWLING FOR MY BABY – Howlin’ Wolf

BLUES FOR CHRISTMAS – John Lee Hooker

REMEMBER LAST CHRISTMAS – Gus Jenkins

LONESOME CHRISTMAS BLUES – Lowell Fulson

CHRISTMAS BLUES – Ralph Willis

SANTA – Lightning Hopkins

RUN RUN RUDOLPH – Chuck Berry

I HEAR JINGLE BELLS – Freddy King

LET ME BE YOUR SANTA – Clarence Garlow