Hour Three of Blues Before Sunrise – Annual Christmas Program #2 sits right at the crossroads where blues and gospel meet, argue, and occasionally agree. This is the most spiritual hour of the broadcast, but it’s also one of the most human. Christmas here isn’t polished or sentimental—it’s questioned, testified to, joked about, and sometimes weighed against lived experience.

Frankie “Half-Pint” Jaxon opens with “Christ Was Born on Christmas Morn,” grounding the hour in tradition and belief. Tampa Red’s “Christmas & New Year’s Blues” follows, reminding us that while the calendar may change, hardship often doesn’t. Bumble Bee Slim appears twice, first with the hopeful but pointed “Santa Bring Me a Brand New Woman,” then with the resigned “Christmas and No Santa Claus.” Together, they frame Christmas as a season of desire and disappointment.

Rev. Edward Clayborn’s “Wrong Way to Celebrate Christmas” draws a moral line in the sand, offering a warning rather than comfort. That sense of accountability is briefly softened by Bessie Smith’s “At the Christmas Ball,” where observation and elegance take center stage. Victoria Spivey’s “Ain’t Gonna Let You See My Santa Claus” reintroduces humor and personality, reminding us that even in spiritual conversations, human nature never leaves the room.

The gospel presence deepens with the Black Swan Quartet’s “Come All Ye Faithful,” followed by Rev. Hudson Shower’s spoken “Holiday Message,” which feels like a pause for breath and reflection. Elle Thomas & Mattie’s “Christmas Chime” adds a rare, delicate texture, its simplicity standing in contrast to the weightier blues surrounding it.

As the hour moves forward, the songs grow starker. Bukka White’s “Christmas Eve Blues” and Walter Davis’ “Santa Claus” strip the holiday down to survival and honesty. Roosevelt Sykes’ “Let Me Hang My Stocking” brings a touch of levity, before Leroy Carr’s devastating “Christmas in Jail – Ain’t It a Pain” lands like a cold wind through the room.

The hour closes with Sonny Boy Williamson I’s “Christmas Morning Blues,” a fitting conclusion that blends resignation, reflection, and musical grace. It’s not an ending that resolves anything—it simply tells the truth and lets the listener sit with it.

Hour Three doesn’t separate faith from struggle or celebration from consequence. Instead, it presents Christmas as a moment of reckoning—a time when beliefs are tested and truths come into focus. It’s a powerful reminder that the blues didn’t borrow Christmas for novelty; it embraced it because the stories were already there.

Playlist – Hour 3 (12/21/25)

CHRIST WAS BORN ON CHRISTMAS MORN – Frankie “Half-Pint” Jaxon

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR’S BLUES – Tampa Red

SANTA BRING ME A BRAND NEW WOMAN – Bumble Bee Slim

CHRISTMAS AND NO SANTA CLAUS – Bumble Bee Slim

WRONG WAY TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS – Rev. Edward Clayborn

AT THE CHRISTMAS BALL – Bessie Smith

AIN’T GONNA LET YOU SEE MY SANTA CLAUS – Victoria Spivey

COME ALL YE FAITHFUL – Black Swan Quartet

HOLIDAY MESSAGE – Rev. Hudson Shower

CHRISTMAS CHIME – Elle Thomas & Mattie

CHRISTMAS EVE BLUES – Bukka White

SANTA CLAUS – Walter Davis

LET ME HANG MY STOCKING – Roosevelt Sykes

CHRISTMAS IN JAIL – AIN’T IT A PAIN – Leroy Carr

CHRISTMAS MORNING BLUES – Sonny Boy Williamson I