Kokomo Arnold

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Kokomo Arnold
Birth nameJames Arnold
Also known asGitfiddle Jim
Born(1896-02-15)February 15, 1896 or 1901
Blues
Instrument(s)Vocals, slide guitar
Years active1920s–1938
LabelsDecca

James "Kokomo" Arnold (February 15, 1896 or 1901 – November 8, 1968) was an American blues musician. A left-handed slide guitarist, 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, a cover version of Scrapper Blackwell's blues song about the city of Kokomo, Indiana.[1][2]

Early life

Arnold was born in

1900 census.[4] He learned the basics of playing the guitar from his cousin, John Wiggs.[5]

Career

Arnold began playing in the early 1920s as a sideline, when he was working as a farmhand in

Mayo Williams, a producer for Decca Records.[5]

From his first recording for Decca, on September 10, 1934,[6] until his last, on May 12, 1938, Arnold made 88 sides, seven of which have been lost.

Arnold,

Milkcow's Calf Blues". Another Arnold song, "Sagefield Woman Blues", introduced the phrase "dust my broom", which Johnson used as a song title.[8]

Other notable songs include his 1934 recording of "Sissy Man Blues",

bisexuality ("Lord, if you can't send me no woman, please send me some sissy man").[9] It was later recorded by other blues musicians of the era, including Josh White
(as "Pinewood Tom"), George Noble and Connie McLean's Rhythm Boys.

Arnold's grave at Burr Oak Cemetery

In 1938 Arnold left the music industry and began to work in a Chicago factory.[6] 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.[6] His song "Milk Cow Blues" was recorded by Elvis Presley.[2]

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.[2]

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)

See also

References

  1. ^ African American Registry Archived March 9, 2005, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-85712-117-2
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8264-5150-7
    .
  4. ISBN 978-0313344237
    .
  5. ^ a b Briggs, Keith (1991). Kokomo Arnold, Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (May 17, 1930 to March 15, 1935). Document Records.
  6. ^
    ISBN 1-85868-255-X
    .
  7. ISBN 978-0-88254-751-0
    .
  8. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6
    .
  9. ^ Doyle, JD (2004). "Sissy Man Blues". QueerMusicHeritage.com. Retrieved August 12, 2014.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kokomo_Arnold&oldid=1218446685"