Blues

Kokomo Arnold – King Of The Bottleneck Guitar (1934-1937) [1991]

2011-06-13T08:44:22Z

Kokomo Arnold – King Of The Bottleneck Guitar (1934-1937) [1991]


01. Milk Cow Blues 			play
02. Old Original Kokomo Blues 	play
03. Back to the Woods
04. Sagefield Woman Blues
05. Old Black Cat Blues (Jinx Blues) 
06. Sissy Man Blues 
07. Front Door Blues (32 20 Blues) 
08. Back Door Blues 
09. The Twelves (Dirty Dozens)
10. Biscuit Roller Blues 
11. Chain Gang Blues 
12. How Long How Long Blues 
13. Bo-Weevil Blues 
14. Busy Bootin' 
15. Policy Wheel Blues 
16. Milk Cow Blues no. 4 
17. Model 'T' Woman Blues 
18. I'll Be Up Some Day 
19. Mister Charlie
20. Back Fence Picket Blues 
21. Wild Water Blues
22. Red Beans and Rice 
23. Buddie Brown Blues (Rolling Time)

Kokomo Arnold – vocals, guitar

James "Kokomo" Arnold (James 'Kokomo' Arnold), February 15, 1901, in Lovejoy-Station (Lovejoy Station), Georgia, mind. November 8, 1968, in Chicago (Chicago), Illinois. Kokomo Arnold, sinistral bluesy slide-guitar player, learned the basics of his style from his cousin James Uiggza (James Wigges). Having worked in steel mills in Illinois and Pennsylvania, he devoted himself to fishing and brew and music lessons were viewed as a passion, a side to "real life".

Arnold has developed an unconventional style of guitar-based style, once popular in some states, the extreme southern United States. He held the instrument flat on his knees, pulling slide twang. In contrast to the quiet and often reckless approach of many of his contemporaries, Arnold's style is characterized by the pressure and aggression, perfect games in his unusual style combined with an unusually high-pitched, often inarticulate singing, in which are embedded, however, the unexpected manifestation of pure vocal, stressing the important moments in the texts of his compositions.

Conquered by Arnold's reputation has followed him closely in his wanderings through the northern states of the United States in the years after the First World War. Arnold did not record again until 1930, when he recorded the song «Paddlin 'Blues» (frenzied reading of blues songs «Paddling Madeline Home») and blues «Rainy Night» under the pseudonym Gitfiddl Jim (Gitfiddle Jim) at the record company Victor »(Victor) in Memphis. For a decade he continued to record, solely on the record company "Decca". His greatest hits were recorded with a single two-part blues «Old Original Kokomo» (so called by the name of coffee) and «Milk Cow Blues», which he recorded a total of five numbered versions. It was very popular among bluesmen, but in the 50 years experienced a second boom, when it recorded such stars rock 'n' roll as Elvis Presley (Elvis Presley) and Eddie Cochran (Eddie Cochran).

For a significant number of exceptions, of Kokomo Arnold's still followed the designed models, but were always colored with his powerful game slide and original texts. His talent as a guitarist adorns record Roosevelt Sykes (Roosevelt Sykes)Mary Johnson (Mary Johnson) and Petey Uetstrou (Peetie Wheatstraw). In 1938, after a quarrel with the Mayo Williams from "Decca Records, he stopped to record. Having a reliable and stable sources of livelihood, it is further down with the proposals to write or talk to reporters. In the early 60's, during the revival of interest in the variety of blues, in which he specialized, Kokomo Arnold made several times in Chicago.

Despite the brevity of the stay Kokomo Arnold's blues on the proscenium, he has an obvious impact on creativity Robert Johnson (Robert Johnson)Which, in turn, was one of the most important bluesmen "second generation", whose legacy later was one of the formative factors of rock music. Kokomo Arnold died in November 1968 in Chicago.

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Kokomo Arnold – The Story Of The Blues (2004)

2011-06-10T13:26:23Z

Kokomo Arnold – The Story Of The Blues Vol.2 (2004)


1. Big Ship Blues [3:08]
2. Crying Blues [2:58]
3. Grandpa Got Drunk [3:04]
4. Black Mattie [3:11]
5. Neck Bone Blues [2:51]
6. Buddie Brown Blues [2:53]
7. Rocky Road Blues [2:44]		play
8. Head Cuttin' Blues [2:54]
9. Broke Man Blues [2:53]
10. Back On The Job [3:00]
11. Shine On, Moon (Shine On, Shine On) [2:52]
12. Your Ways and Actions [2:46]
13. Tired Of Runnin' From Door To Door [2:37]
14. My Well Is Dry [2:39]
15. Midnight Blues [2:48]		play
16. Goin' Down In Galilee (Swing Along With Me) [2:28]
17. Bad Luck Blues [2:48]
18. Kid Man Blues [2:47]
19. Something's Hot [2:35]

Musicians:
    Alice Moore, Vocals
    Odell Rand, Clarinet
    Sam Theard, Vocals
    Mary Johnson, Vocals
    Albert Ammons, Piano
    Kokomo Arnold, Guitar, Vocals
    Roosevelt Sykes, Piano
    Peetie Wheatstraw,  Piano

Whilst I haven't listened to all of blues legend Kokomo Arnold's songs, I'm fairly convinced that this compilation of tunes from 1934 to 37 covers the majority of his good work. By the time James Arnold released his single "Old Original Kokomo Blues" - a song about coffee where he gained the name Kokomo Arnold, he'd already been playing guitar and singing as a part-time job for the best part of a decade in Buffalo and Pittsburgh, he moved south briefly releasing to tracks but it was only in Chicago where his career really began to kick off though.

Kokomo Arnold has a distinctly high voice which sounds a bit ridiculous at times but gives some of his songs a bit of an edge, he's a pretty awesome slide guitarist and despite never having that much success (he left the music industry fairly early and became a factory worker), the famous Milk Cow Blues was covered by numerous artists including Elvis Presley on The Sun Sessions, it would be foolish to say that Kokomo Arnold didn't have any effect on future musicians.

The guitar playing is enjoyable on this album, the lyrics fairly straight-forward blues and there's not really any tracks which stand out, perhaps the reason he never enjoyed that much success but it's an interesting and enjoyable listen anyway and worth having in your record collection if you like the blues.

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Kokomo Arnold - Midnight Blues (2000)

2011-05-08T09:40:12Z

Kokomo Arnold - Midnight Blues (1994)

CD1
1. Backfence Picket Blues [3:06]
2. Fool Man Blues [3:06]
3. Long and Tall [2:46]
4. Sally Dog [2:48]			play
5. Cold Winter Blues [3:09]
6. Sister Jane Cross the Hall [2:39]
7. Wild Water Blues [3:13]
8. Laugh and Grin Blues [3:09]
9. Mean Old Twister [2:57]
10. Red Beans and Rice [3:03]
11. Set Down Gal [2:41]
12. Big Ship Blues [3:08]
13. Crying Blues [2:58]			play
14. Grandpa Got Drunk [3:04]
15. Black Mattie [3:09]

CD2
1. Neck Bone Blues [2:51]
2. Buddie Brown Blues [2:53]
3. Rocky Road Blues [2:44]
4. Head Cuttin' Blues [2:54]
5. Broke Man Blues [2:53]		play
6. Back on the Job [3:00]
7. Shine on, Moon [2:52]
8. Your Ways and Actions [2:46]
9. Tired of Runnin' From Door to Door [2:37]
10. My Well Is Dry [2:39]
11. Midnight Blues [2:49]		play
12. Goin' Down in Galilee [2:28]
13. Bad Luck Blues [2:48]
14. Kid Man Blues [2:47]
15. Something's Hot [2:33]

Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw (tracks: 1-11, 1-12, 2-4 to 2-7)
Vocals, Guitar – Kokomo Arnold

Kokomo Arnold (February 15, 1901 — November 8, 1968) was an American blues musician. Born as James Arnold in Lovejoy's Station, Georgia, he got his nickname in 1934 after releasing "Old Original Kokomo Blues" for the Decca label; it was a cover of the Scrapper Blackwell blues song about the city of Kokomo, Indiana. A left-handed slide guitarist, his intense slide style of playing and rapid-fire vocal style set him apart from his contemporaries.

Having learned the basics of the guitar from his cousin, John Wiggs, Arnold began playing in the early 1920s as a sideline while he worked as a farmhand in Buffalo, New York, and as a steelworker in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1929 he moved to Chicago and set up a bootlegging business, an activity he continued throughout Prohibition. In 1930 Arnold moved south briefly, and made his first recordings, "Rainy Night Blues" and "Paddlin' Madeline Blues", under the name Gitfiddle Jim for the Victor label in Memphis. He soon moved back to Chicago, although 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 who was producing records for Decca.

From his first recording for Decca on September 10, 1934, until his last on May 12, 1938, Arnold made 88 sides, seven of which remain lost. Arnold, Peetie Wheatstraw and Bumble Bee Slim were dominant figures in Chicago blues circles of that time. Peetie Wheatstraw & Arnold in particular were also major influences upon musical contemporary seminal delta blues artist Robert Johnson and thus modern music as a whole. Johnson turned "Old Original Kokomo Blues" into "Sweet Home Chicago", "Milk Cow Blues" into "Milkcow's Calf Blues", while another Arnold song, "Sagefield Woman Blues", introduced the terminology "dust my broom", which Johnson used as a song title himself.

Arnold's "Milk Cow Blues" was covered by Elvis Presley (as "Milk Cow Blues Boogie") at the Sun Studios produced by Sam Phillips and was issued as one of his early singles, it was later performed by Tyler Hilton who played Elvis in the 2005 film Walk the Line. Aerosmith covered "Milk Cow Blues" on their 1977 album Draw the Line, Dead Moon covered it on their 1990 album Defiance, George Strait on his 1991 album Chill of an Early Fall and Willie Nelson on the 2000 album Milk Cow Blues.

In 1938 Arnold left the music industry and began to work in a Chicago factory. Rediscovered by blues researchers in 1962, he showed no enthusiasm for returning to music to take advantage of the new explosion of interest in the blues among young white audiences. He died of a heart attack in Chicago, aged 67, in 1968, and was buried in the Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.

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