James "Kokomo" Arnold (February 15, 1896 or 1901 – November 8, 1968) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

musician. A left-handed

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

ist, his intense style of playing and rapid-fire vocal delivery set him apart from his contemporaries. He got his nickname in 1934 after releasing "Old Original Kokomo Blues" for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

, a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of Scrapper Blackwell's blues song about the city of

Kokomo, Indiana Kokomo ( ) is a city in Indiana and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard County, the Kokomo-Peru CSA, which inclu ...

Early life

Arnold was born in Lovejoy's Station, Georgia. Most sources give the date his birth as 1901, but the researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc give the date as 1896, on the basis of information in the 1900 census. He learned the basics of playing the guitar from his cousin, John Wiggs.Briggs, Keith (1991). ''Kokomo Arnold, Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (May 17, 1930 to March 15, 1935)''. Document Records.

Career

Arnold began playing in the early 1920s as a sideline, when he was working as a farmhand in Buffalo, New York, and as a steelworker in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...

. In 1929 he moved to Chicago and ran a bootlegging business, an activity he continued until the end of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic be ...

. In 1930 he moved south briefly and made his first

recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

, "Rainy Night Blues" and "Paddlin' Madeline Blues", under the name Gitfiddle Jim, for the Victor label in Memphis. He soon moved back to Chicago, where he was forced to make a living as a musician after Prohibition ended in 1933. Kansas Joe McCoy heard him and introduced him to Mayo Williams, a producer for

. From his first recording for Decca, on September 10, 1934, until his last, on May 12, 1938, Arnold made 88 sides, seven of which have been lost. Arnold,

Peetie Wheatstraw William Bunch (December 21, 1902 – December 21, 1941), known as Peetie Wheatstraw, was an American musician, an influential figure among 1930s blues singers. Early life and career William Bunch was the son of James Bunch and Mary (Burns) Bunc ...

and

Bumble Bee Slim Admirl Amos Easton (May 7, 1905 – June 8, 1968), better known by the stage name Bumble Bee Slim, was an American Piedmont blues singer and guitarist. Biography Easton was born in Brunswick, Georgia, United States. Several original sources co ...

were well-known musicians in

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cen ...

circles at that time. Wheatstraw and Arnold, in particular, were also major influences on their contemporary, the

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

artist

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

. Johnson turned "Old Original Kokomo Blues" into " Sweet Home Chicago" and "Milk Cow Blues" into " Milkcow's Calf Blues". Another Arnold song, "Sagefield Woman Blues", introduced the phrase "

dust my broom "Dust My Broom" is a blues song originally recorded as "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" by American blues artist Robert Johnson in 1936. It is a solo performance in the Delta blues-style with Johnson's vocal accompanied by his acoustic guitar. ...

", which Johnson used as a song title. Other notable songs include his 1934 recording of "Sissy Man Blues", with lyrics referring to

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, ...

ity ("Lord, if you can't send me no woman, please send me some sissy man").Doyle, JD (2004)
"Sissy Man Blues"
QueerMusicHeritage.com. Retrieved August 12, 2014. It was later recorded by other blues musicians of the era, including

Josh White Joshua Daniel White (February 11, 1914 – September 5, 1969) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names Pinewood Tom and Tippy Barton in the 1930s. White grew up in the South ...

(as "Pinewood Tom"), George Noble and Connie McLean's Rhythm Boys. Grave of James 'Kokomo' Arnold (c

In 1938 Arnold left the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

and began to work in a Chicago factory. Located by blues researchers in 1962, he showed no interest in returning to music to take advantage of the resurgence of interest in the blues among young white audiences. His song "Milk Cow Blues" was recorded by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

Death

Arnold died of a heart attack in Chicago on November 8, 1968, aged either 67 or 72, and was buried in Burr Oak Cemetery, in

Alsip, Illinois Alsip is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Alsip was settled in the 1830s by German and Dutch farmers. The village is named after Frank Al ...

Discography

* ''Kokomo Arnold'' (Saydisc Matchbox, 1969) * ''Masters of the Blues'', vol. 4 (Collector's Classics, 1970) * ''Bad Luck Blues 1934–1938'' (MCA, 1974) * ''Master of the Bottleneck Guitar 1930–38'' (Document, 1987) * ''Down and Out Blues'' (Agram, 1990) * ''Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order 1930–1938'', vols. 1–4 (Document, 1991) * ''King of the Bottleneck Guitar 1934–1937'' (Black & Blue, 1991) * ''Blues Classics'', vol. 1 (Wolf, 1997) * ''Old Original Kokomo Blues'' (P-Vine, 1997) * ''Old Original Kokomo Blues 1934–1938'' (EMP, 1998) * ''Old Original Kokomo Blues'' (Catfish, 1999) * ''Midnight Blues'' (History, 2000) * ''The Essential Kokomo Arnold'' (Document, 2001) * ''The Story of the Blues'' (Membran Music, 2004)

References

External links

Illustrated Kokomo Arnold discography
* allmusic.com entry
African American Registry entry

Kokomo Arnold recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along wit ...