The second hour of this week’s Blues Before Sunrise is a salute to the powerhouse women who carried the blues into the R&B era — the artists who gave the genre its sass, sophistication, and staying power. These were the women who could growl a 12-bar blues one minute and swing a nightclub number the next, translating the trials of everyday life into anthems of joy, heartbreak, and defiance.
The set begins with Ruth Brown, the woman Atlantic Records dubbed “Miss Rhythm.” Her hit “Teardrops from My Eyes” didn’t just climb the charts — it redrew the map of popular music. Brown’s sharp phrasing and gospel-informed delivery gave postwar R&B its bite, paving the way for later stars like Etta James and Aretha Franklin. LaVern Baker, another Atlantic alum, follows with “Jim Dandy.” With her sly humor and vocal agility, Baker turned a novelty song into a swaggering declaration of independence — part burlesque, part sermon, all attitude.
Then comes Big Maybelle, the woman whose voice could fill a room and stop time. On “Candy,” she turns a pop standard into a soul confession, wrapping sweetness in slow-burning intensity. Big Maybelle’s influence is hard to overstate — she bridged the rawness of postwar blues with the polish of emerging soul.
Dinah Washington’s “Baby, Get Lost” reminds listeners why she was known as the Queen. Her phrasing cuts like a scalpel, balancing elegance with unapologetic command. Dinah could swing a big band or strip a lyric to its emotional core — and she did both with the same level of mastery. Nellie Lutcher, with her playful “Fine Brown Frame,” injects wit and jazz sophistication, her piano driving the rhythm with the bounce of a late-night club.
The mood shifts as Helen Humes steps up with “Be Baba Leba,” a song that captured wartime nightlife in a single phrase. Then Mabel Scott’s “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus” brings jump energy and holiday humor — proof that these women were as comfortable swinging as they were testifying. Little Esther Phillips takes it back to the roots with “Double Crossing Blues,” her teenage voice delivering wisdom far beyond her years alongside Johnny Otis’s band.
Midway through the hour, the spotlight widens to include lesser-known names who deserve equal recognition: Camille Howard and her piano-driven “X-Temporaneous Boogie” radiate joy and technical brilliance. Faye Adams belts “Shake a Hand” with gospel conviction, a performance that turned sacred intensity into R&B’s emotional center. Annie Laurie follows with “Since I Fell for You,” a ballad that remains one of the most elegant blends of blues and jazz phrasing ever recorded.
The hour closes with two contrasting voices: Julia Lee, whose “King Size Papa” defined the risqué edge of Kansas City blues, and Varetta Dillard, whose “Mercy, Mr. Percy” bursts with rock ’n’ roll’s youthful energy before rock had even been named. Together, they remind us that women were not only part of the R&B revolution — they led it.
This hour of Blues Before Sunrise is more than nostalgia; it’s restoration. These songs reveal a generation of artists who broke barriers in sound and society alike. In the studio, they demanded respect; on record, they delivered innovation. Without these women, R&B wouldn’t have found its rhythm, and soul music might never have found its voice.
Hour 2 Playlist
TEARDROPS FROM MY EYES – RUTH BROWN
JIM DANDY – LAVERN BAKER
CANDY – BIG MAYBELLE
BABY, GET LOST – DINAH WASHINGTON
FINE BROWN FRAME – NELLIE LUTCHER
BE BABA LEBA – HELEN HUMES
BOOGIE WOOGIE SANTA CLAUS – MABEL SCOTT
DOUBLE CROSSING BLUES – LITTLE ESTHER PHILLIPS
X-TEMPORANEOUS BOOGIE – CAMILLE HOWARD
SHAKE A HAND – FAYE ADAMS
SINCE I FELL FOR YOU – ANNIE LAURIE
KING SIZE PAPA – JULIA LEE
MERCY, MR. PERCY – VARETTA DILLARD