There are musicians who stand in the spotlight, and there are those who quietly make the spotlight possible. Sonny Thompson was one of the latter — a pianist, bandleader, and arranger whose touch defined an era without demanding the credit it deserved. This week on Blues Before Sunrise, we shine that long-overdue light on Thompson, revisiting his role as the unsung accompanist of postwar rhythm and blues and the house pianist for the mighty King Records label out of Cincinnati. Though he spent most of his career rooted in Chicago, Sonny Thompson’s sound traveled far — from basement sessions on South Michigan Avenue to national hits that defined R&B’s golden age.

Born in 1916 in Evansville, Indiana, and raised in Chicago, Thompson built his reputation as a steady hand and a subtle stylist. By the late 1940s, his blend of jazz sophistication and blues instinct had made him one of King’s most dependable studio men. You might not have known his name, but you definitely heard his piano — backing legends like Wynonie Harris, Mabel Scott, Freddy King, Bullmoose Jackson, Lucky Millinder, and Lula Reed. When the King label needed someone to hold a session together, Thompson was the man they called. Whether it was jump blues, gospel-inflected R&B, or early rock ’n’ roll, his playing gave each track a rhythmic spine and harmonic polish that turned grooves into gold.

Hour Four of this week’s broadcast revisits some of those legendary sides: Harris’ “Mr. Blues Is Coming to Town,” Millinder’s “Silent George,” and Reed’s “Going Back to Mexico,” all propelled by Thompson’s signature blend of barrelhouse drive and jazz phrasing. He wasn’t just comping chords — he was shaping the feel, coaxing vocalists into their best takes, and bridging the worlds of blues, swing, and early soul. The line between accompanist and arranger often blurred, and that’s exactly where Sonny thrived.

But Blues Before Sunrise never stops at one chapter of the story. Across all five hours, host Steve Cushing draws connections between Thompson’s world and the broader musical landscape — from the prewar grit of Blind Willie Johnson and Walter Roland, to the late-night sophistication of Ray Charles, June Richmond, and Arthur Prysock. The first hour opens with the elegance of Charles and the wit of the Mills Brothers, setting the tone for a night that celebrates musicianship in all its forms. By the time the final hour rolls around, listeners will have traveled from jump blues and jazz lounges to backwoods gospel and sanctified quartets.

Hour Five closes with a kind of benediction — Fred McDowell’s slide sermons, Mance Lipscomb’s acoustic truth-telling, Leroy Carr’s midnight melancholy, and Fleetwood Mac’s meditative “Albatross,” before a suite of spirituals and sacred harmonies lift the show heavenward. It’s a journey that captures what Blues Before Sunrise has always done best: show how blues, jazz, gospel, and soul all live in conversation with one another, tied together by shared feeling and musical lineage.

Through it all, Sonny Thompson remains the thread — the accompanist whose quiet authority anchored sessions for stars who often outshone him on the label copy. This week’s broadcast reminds us that behind every great singer and bandleader, there’s someone like Thompson at the piano, turning rhythm into language and chords into emotion. His work reminds us that the blues isn’t only about who’s up front — it’s also about who’s behind, supporting, shaping, and lifting every note.

So tune in and rediscover the man who made so many others sound their best. This week, Blues Before Sunrise celebrates Sonny Thompson: accompanist, architect, and unsung hero of the King sound.