Born James Arnold, slide guitarist and blues singer Kokomo Arnold earned his moniker from a track recorded in 1934 entitled “Old Original Kokomo Blues.” Arnold had been performing steadily since the ‘20s as a sideline to bootlegging, but concentrated on music full time when he began to record for Decca in the ‘30s. Arnold cut 88 sides for Decca during the ‘30s, becoming one of the label’s more popular artists in their "Race Records" series. By the end of the ‘30s Arnold had quit the business and gone to work in a factory, where he remained until his death at the age of 67. Along with his contemporary and collaborator Peetie Wheatstraw, Arnold proved a significant influence on Robert Johnson.