Kokomo Arnold

by Uncle Dave Lewis Kokomo was a popular brand of coffee early in the 20th century, and was the subject of Francis Scrapper Blackwells first recorded blues in 1928. When slide guitar specialist James Arnold revamped this number as Old Original Kokomo Blues for Decca in 1934, little did he know that this would soon become his permanent handle — Kokomo Arnold. Kokomo Arnold was born in Georgia, and began his musical career in Buffalo, New York in the early 20s. During prohibition, Kokomo Arnold worked primarily as a bootlegger, and performing music was a only sideline to him. Nonetheless he worked out a distinctive style of bottleneck slide guitar and blues singing that set him apart from his contemporaries. In the late 20s, Arnold settled for a short time in Mississippi, making his first recordings in May 1930 for Victor in Memphis under the name of Gitfiddle Jim. Arnold moved to Chicago in order to be near to where the action was as a bootlegger, but the repeal of the Volstead Act put him out of business, so he turned instead to music as a full-time vocation. From his first Decca session of September 10, 1934 until he finally called it quits after his session of May 12, 1938, Kokomo Arnold made 88 sides under his own name for Decca, which rejected only nine of them — two of the rejected titles have since been recovered. On some sides he was joined on piano by Peetie Wheatstraw, although most of Kokomo Arnolds records were made solo. Arnold also played guitar on two tunes cut in July 1936 by Oscars Chicago Swingers, a dance band led by singer Sam Theard. Judging from the overall size of his recorded output, you might suspect that he was a success as a recording artist, and this was true; along with Peetie Wheatstraw and Amos Easton (Bumble Bee Slim), Kokomo Arnold was a predominant figure among blues singers in the Decca Race catalogues of the 1930s. He was also well-known as a live performer as well, appearing mainly in Chicago, but also on at least a couple of occasions in New York.