The final hour of this week’s Blues Before Sunrise offers a graceful blend of elegance, soul, and blues grit, reminding listeners how interconnected these genres became in the postwar years. It’s a showcase of artistry that spans from the smooth harmonies of vocal groups to the raw emotion of deep soul ballads, from sophisticated jazz stylings to the blues-inflected power of the electric era. Hour 5 doesn’t simply close the show — it acts as a reflective meditation on where the blues came from, how it shaped popular music, and how its echoes linger in both familiar classics and overlooked gems.
The Ink Spots begin the set with Just For A Thrill, a reminder of how important close-harmony groups were in laying the foundation for rhythm & blues and soul. Their smooth delivery, paired with the gentle melancholy of the song, sets a contemplative mood. Henry Mancini follows with The Soft Touch, a selection that carries orchestral grace into the blues landscape, offering a moment of cinematic polish before the deeper blues voices emerge. Billy Eckstine’s Room With A View continues the sophisticated mood, his baritone voice embodying the bridge between the big-band era and postwar jazz-tinged blues balladry. Eckstine was not only a commanding singer but also a mentor to countless musicians who later defined modern jazz and R&B.
The mood softens with Ernestine Anderson’s I Got Lost in His Arms. Her nuanced phrasing, steeped in jazz but sensitive to the blues undercurrent, reminds listeners of the often-overlooked role women played in carrying the blues tradition into popular standards. Jimmy Smith’s Groanin’ shifts the gears, bringing the Hammond organ to the forefront. Smith’s ability to blend gospel phrasing with jazz improvisation made him a key influence on soul jazz and later rhythm & blues organists. His performance here injects groove into the set while keeping one foot firmly in the blues tradition.
Sam Cooke then commands the spotlight, offering a run of hits that show why he remains one of the most important figures in 20th-century music. Good Times captures the easy joy of Cooke’s songwriting, while Another Saturday Night balances humor and frustration through his smooth delivery. The iconic You Send Me stands as a timeless recording, blending gospel roots with secular tenderness in a way that forever changed American popular music. Cooke’s selections in this hour remind us of his role as a bridge between sacred traditions and the emerging sound of soul.
The emotional centerpiece of Hour 5 is the suite of Bobby Bland recordings. Few voices carried such a potent blend of vulnerability and strength, and Bland’s mid-century work defined the edge between blues and soul. I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog is a plea of heartbreak sung with conviction, while Lovin’ On Borrowed Time dives into themes of impermanence and longing. Tracks like Come To The End Of Your Road and Who’s Foolin’ Who highlight Bland’s ability to turn everyday struggles into deeply moving performances. Ain’t No Love and Ain’t Gonna Be The First To Cry bring gospel-tinged gravity, reminding listeners that the blues at its core is always about lived human experience.
Finally, Fleetwood Mac’s Albatross provides a meditative outro. Its instrumental calm, with its gentle guitar lines floating like waves, closes the show not with a shout but with a whisper — an invitation to reflect on the musical journey taken across the night. The track serves as a reminder that even British rock bands of the late 1960s were profoundly shaped by the blues traditions explored throughout the program.
Hour 5 stands as both a conclusion and a summation: the blues is not a single sound but a wide river that touches soul, jazz, gospel, and rock. From the Ink Spots’ harmonies to Bobby Bland’s intensity and Fleetwood Mac’s contemplative fade-out, this hour reminds listeners that the legacy of the blues is both personal and universal.
Playlist – Hour 5
- Just For A Thrill – Ink Spots
- The Soft Touch – Henry Mancini
- Room With A View – Billy Eckstine
- I Got Lost In His Arms – Ernestine Anderson
- Groanin’ – Jimmy Smith
- Good Times – Sam Cooke
- Another Saturday Night – Sam Cooke
- You Send Me – Sam Cooke
- I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog – Bobby Bland
- Lovin’ On Borrowed Time – Bobby Bland
- Come To The End Of Your Road – Bobby Bland
- Who’s Foolin’ Who – Bobby Bland
- Ain’t No Love – Bobby Bland
- Ain’t Gonna Be The First To Cry – Bobby Bland
- Albatross – Fleetwood Mac