Kokomo Arnold

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.

Birth and Death Data: Born Lovejoy (city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States), Died November 8, 1968 (Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1938

Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist, songwriter

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 131 records)

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Victor	BVE-57257	10-in.	12/13/1929	You must be so	Cotton PIckers Quartet	Male vocal quartet	songwriter
Victor	BVE-57259	10-in.	12/13/1929	When the water raised	Cotton PIckers Quartet	Male vocal quartet	songwriter
Victor	BVE-59938	10-in.	5/17/1930	Rainy night blues	Jim Gitfiddle [i.e., Kokomo Arnold]	Male vocal solo, with guitar	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, songwriter
Victor	BVE-59939	10-in.	5/17/1930	Paddlin' blues	Jim Gitfiddle [i.e., Kokomo Arnold]	Male vocal solo, with guitar	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, songwriter
Decca	60502	10-in.	2/18/1936	D.B.A. Blues No.2	Roosevelt Sykes		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60503	10-in.	2/18/1936	Dirty mother for you	Roosevelt Sykes		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60504	10-in.	2/18/1936	The cannon ball	Roosevelt Sykes		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60505	10-in.	2/18/1936	Jet black snake-1	Roosevelt Sykes		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60506	10-in.	2/18/1936	Working man (Doing the best I can)	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60507	10-in.	2/18/1936	Low down rascal	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60511	10-in.	2/18/1936	When I get my bonus	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60512	10-in.	2/18/1936	Coon can Shorty	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60513	10-in.	2/18/1936	Second floor blues	Roosevelt Sykes		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60514	10-in.	2/18/1936	Milk cow blues No.5	Kokomo Arnold		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60515	10-in.	2/18/1936	I'll be up someday	Kokomo Arnold		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60516	10-in.	2/18/1936	I can't get enough of that stuff	Kokomo Arnold		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60517	10-in.	2/18/1936	Desert blues	Kokomo Arnold		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60518	10-in.	2/18/1936	Bulk headed woman blues	Kokomo Arnold		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60519	10-in.	2/18/1936	Sundown blues	Kokomo Arnold		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60522	10-in.	2/19/1936	Meat cutter blues	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60523	10-in.	2/19/1936	The first shall be last and the last shall be first	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60527	10-in.	2/19/1936	Kidnappers blues	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60532	10-in.	2/20/1936	Old good whiskey blues	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60538	10-in.	2/20/1936	Poor millionaire blues	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	60539	10-in.	2/20/1936	Deep sea love	Peetie Wheatstraw		instrumentalist, guitar

(Results 1-25 of 131 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Arnold, Kokomo," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110643.

Arnold, Kokomo. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110643.

"Arnold, Kokomo." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.