This week on Blues Before Sunrise, the vault is reopened for a special tribute to one of the most significant grassroots musical gatherings in American folk and blues history: the University of Chicago Folk Festival. For decades, the U of C Folk Fest has served as a vital platform where traditional blues musicians—many of whom first recorded in the 1920s and ’30s—found new audiences amid the folk revival of the 1960s and beyond. It was, and remains, a stage where legacy meets rediscovery. This broadcast revisits rare and powerful performances captured during the festival’s storied history.

Hour #3 stands at the core of the program, featuring archival recordings directly from the Folk Festival stage. Listeners will hear Furry Lewis in a 1962 appearance—a living bridge to the Memphis blues scene of the 1920s. Houston Stackhouse is featured in a 1973 set that carries the weight and tradition of Delta blues, tracing lineage through Robert Nighthawk and others. A 1963 performance brings together Sunnyland Slim with close collaborators Floyd Jones and Big Walter Horton, showcasing the electric energy of Chicago’s postwar blues movement. The hour concludes with the raw, spiritual blues of Reverend Pearly Brown, recorded in 1973—a deeply compelling presence on the Folk Festival roster.

Surrounding this centerpiece are four distinct hours of music. Hour #1 delivers a swing-era showcase built around the iconic Cab Calloway and his pioneering sister Blanche, emphasizing the sophistication and flair that influenced early jazz and jump blues. Hour #2 features R&B legends such as Wynonie Harris, Ruth Brown, and Johnny Otis, along with poignant gospel reflections and commentary by Rev. J.M. Gates and Sallie Martin.

Hour #4 shifts focus to the jazzy, guitar-forward styles of West Coast and Texas blues from the 1940s and ’50s. T-Bone Walker, Peewee Crayton, Gatemouth Brown, and Lloyd Glenn provide a versatile set that moves seamlessly between smooth grooves and danceable shuffles. Hour #5 rounds out the show with soul-inflected ballads, deep blues, and gospel mood. The Delta Rhythm Boys, Milt Jackson, Sam Cooke, and Elmore James lead into a meditative closer from Memphis Slim and a final nod to the British blues revival with Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross.”

For both long-time followers and new listeners alike, this episode of Blues Before Sunrise offers a compelling mix of field recordings, hard-to-find gems, and historical insight. It’s another vivid reminder of why Blues Before Sunrise continues to be an essential source for archival blues broadcasting.

Listeners are invited to ride the rails back to Hyde Park, where the University of Chicago Folk Festival lives on—only on Blues Before Sunrise.