Hour Two of Blues Before Sunrise – Annual Christmas Program #2 brings momentum back into the night. This is Christmas with a pulse—records made for jukeboxes, late shifts, and crowded rooms where the blues had to move bodies as well as hearts. It’s an hour that balances swing and sorrow, celebration and belief, proving once again that holiday music in the blues tradition never sits still for long.

The hour opens with Charles Brown’s “Merry Christmas Baby,” a song so deeply embedded in the season it feels inevitable. Brown’s performance is warm and restrained, setting a tone that values intimacy over spectacle. Little Esther’s “Far Away Christmas Blues” follows, answering that warmth with distance and longing, a reminder that togetherness is never guaranteed.

Mabel Scott’s “Boogie Woogie Santa” and Roy Milton’s “Christmas Time Blues” inject jump-blues energy into the hour, pushing things toward the dance floor without losing emotional weight. Jimmy Liggins’ “I Want My Baby for Christmas” keeps that theme rolling, tying holiday happiness directly to love and companionship.

Louis Jordan’s “My Everyday Be Christmas” is pure optimism, a reminder that joy doesn’t have to be seasonal. Bull Moose Jackson’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” reframes a familiar promise with blues realism, smoother and more grounded than its pop cousins. Lionel Hampton’s “Merry Christmas Baby” adds instrumental sparkle, keeping the groove alive while honoring the song’s emotional core.

The middle of the hour leans into classic R&B storytelling. Gatemouth Moore’s “Christmas Blues” and Cecil Gant’s “It’s Christmas Time Again” bring humor, personality, and lived experience into focus. Larry Darnell’s “Christmas Blues” and Gant’s “Hello Santa” feel like back-to-back letters to the season—hopeful, direct, and unsentimental.

Floyd Dixon’s “Empty Stocking Blues” marks a subtle emotional shift, moving the hour toward reflection. Big Maybelle’s powerful “White Christmas” follows, turning a familiar tune into something bold and declarative. The Swan Silvertones’ “When Was the Baby Born” grounds the hour spiritually, pulling the focus toward tradition and testimony.

Rev. J.M. Gates’ “Did You Spend Christmas in Jail” lands with sobering force, asking a question that cuts through nostalgia. Mahalia Jackson’s “Silent Night” closes the hour with grace and authority, offering calm without denying the truths raised earlier.

Hour Two is Christmas in motion—music that swings, testifies, and reflects all at once. It captures the season as it’s actually lived: joyful and heavy, sacred and secular, hopeful and unresolved. The blues doesn’t solve Christmas here—it carries it.

Playlist – Hour 2 (12/21/25)

MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY – Charles Brown

FAR AWAY CHRISTMAS BLUES – Little Esther

BOOGIE WOOGIE SANTA – Mabel Scott

CHRISTMAS TIME BLUES – Roy Milton

I WANT MY BABY FOR CHRISTMAS – Jimmy Liggins

MY EVERYDAY BE CHRISTMAS – Louis Jordan

I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS – Bull Moose Jackson

MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY – Lionel Hampton

CHRISTMAS BLUES – Gatemouth Moore

IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN – Cecil Gant

CHRISTMAS BLUES – Larry Darnell

HELLO SANTA – Cecil Gant

EMPTY STOCKING BLUES – Floyd Dixon

WHITE CHRISTMAS – Big Maybelle

WHEN WAS THE BABY BORN – Swan Silvertones

DID YOU SPEND CHRISTMAS IN JAIL – Rev. J. M. Gates

SILENT NIGHT – Mahalia Jackson