[Royalty] Free Pizza #3: Kokomo Arnold

Kokomo Arnold - "Sissy Man Blues"

James “Kokomo” Arnold’s first career was a Chicago bootlegger during the prohibition era, but he was forced to pick up the guitar and live as a musician when the hooch, once again, was legalized in 1933. Arnold, along with his buddies Peetie Wheatstraw and Bumble Bee Slim, were central figures in the Chicago blues scene in the mid 30s, with Kokomo releasing 88 sides between ’34 and ’38. Arnold has served as an inspiration to contemporary blues artists like Robert Leroy Johnson, who turned Kokomo’s song “Old Original Kokomo Blues” into the Chicago blues classic “Sweet Home Chicago.” Unfortunately for Kokomo fans, Arnold left the music scene in 1938 to work in a Chicago factory never to record again. He passed away in 1968 at the age of 67. “Sissy Man Blues” is one of his classics, though was a bit scandalous upon its release in the 1930s. It tells the story of a man who just can’t seem to find a good woman. The man finally cries near the end of the song, “Lord, if you can’t send me no woman, please send me some sissy man”.Download it here.Or stream it below:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq49tS75xCA]