Hour Four of Blues Before Sunrise – Annual Christmas Program #1 plugs Christmas straight into the amplifier. This is where the holiday blues get louder, tougher, and a little less polite. The acoustic laments of earlier hours give way to electric Chicago grit, West Coast swing, and Texas firepower. Santa is still around, but he’s dealing with grown-up problems—and the blues have teeth.
The hour opens with Jesse Thomas’ “Christmas Celebration,” a joyful but grounded reminder that celebration doesn’t require perfection. That optimism is quickly undercut—in the best blues tradition—by Eddie C. Campbell’s “Santa’s Messin’ with the Kid,” a sly, streetwise take that sets the tone for the hour. Christmas here is complicated, and somebody’s always getting shortchanged.
B.B. King’s “Christmas Celebration” keeps the groove moving, blending warmth with authority. When Albert King follows with “Santa Claus Needs Some Lovin’,” the message is unmistakable: even Santa’s got desires, needs, and blues of his own. These records humanize the holiday myth, pulling it out of the toy shop and into the real world.
Sonny Boy Williamson II dominates the center of the hour, and rightly so. “Sonny Boy’s Christmas Blues” and “Santa Claus” are blues storytelling at its sharpest—wry, conversational, and dripping with personality. Sonny Boy doesn’t just sing Christmas songs; he inhabits them, bending the season to his own rules and rhythms.
The mood takes a sharp left turn with Lee Jackson’s “The Christmas Song,” a reminder that not all holiday titles signal comfort. Clyde Lasley’s infamous “Santa Claus Came Home Drunk” pushes the irreverence even further, offering a blues-world version of Christmas chaos that feels more believable than any postcard-perfect scene. It’s funny, uncomfortable, and unforgettable.
From there, the hour leans hard into electric blues royalty. Robert Nighthawk’s “Merry Christmas Baby” glides with smooth menace, followed by Howlin’ Wolf’s “Howling for My Baby,” which may not be a Christmas song by title but fits perfectly by spirit. The blues doesn’t check calendars—it responds to emotion, and Wolf delivers it raw.
John Lee Hooker’s “Blues for Christmas” slows the pulse, turning inward without losing intensity. Gus Jenkins’ “Remember Last Christmas” and Lowell Fulson’s “Lonesome Christmas Blues” follow, deepening the emotional arc and reminding us that memory is often the heaviest ornament we carry into the season.
Ralph Willis’ “Christmas Blues” keeps the narrative grounded before Lightning Hopkins’ “Santa” brings Texas grit into the mix. Hopkins’ delivery is conversational, humorous, and brutally honest—Christmas filtered through lived experience rather than fantasy.
The hour closes with a run of pure holiday propulsion. Chuck Berry’s “Run Run Rudolph” explodes with urgency, Freddy King’s “I Hear Jingle Bells” keeps the guitar hot, and Clarence Garlow’s “Let Me Be Your Santa” seals the hour with swagger and suggestion. It’s a finish that doesn’t fade—it struts.
Hour Four is Christmas blues for listeners who like a little grit with their cheer. It’s electric, irreverent, sometimes funny, sometimes biting—but always honest. Santa may be present, but the blues are firmly in charge.
Playlist – Hour 4 (12/14/25)
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
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