Kokomo Arnold

Complete Recorded Works 17 May 1930 – 12 May 1938

Vol 4: 30th March 1937 to 12th May 1938

Featuring the recordings of:

Kokomo Arnold, vocal /guitar; prob. Peetie Wheatstraw, piano added on 3 and 4. Kokomo Arnold, vocal /guitar; Peetie Wheatstraw, piano. Kokomo Arnold, vocal /guitar; unknown, stand-up bass or imitation bass on 15, 16, 17 added. Kokomo Arnold, vocal /guitar; unknown, piano; unknown, stand-up bass or imitation bass.

Genres: Country Blues, Country Blues guitar, Bottleneck-slide-guitar, Georgia blues, Early Chicago Blues, Blues Piano, National Guitar

Abridged from this album’s booklet notes. At the time that the first records appearing on this album were made, March 1937, Kokomo Arnold had been with Decca for two and a half years and his relationship with Mayo Williams was deteriorating. It was all to end in the following year when Kokomo decided that Williams was not dealing fairly with him and broke away from recording altogether. He had never been a committed bluesman anyway, having he felt, many other rows to hoe. Not that you would have guessed that from the quality of the recordings that he made during his last sessions; from the contemporary blues reportage of Mean Old Twister through to his final, aptly named, display piece Something’s Hot he maintained an enviable level of excellence enlivened here and there by the odd flash of brilliance. Maybe it was a reflection of his clash with Williams that many of his recordings from this period remained unissued – or maybe it was part of its cause.

Keith Briggs Copyright 1991 & 2008 Document Records

DOCD-5040