Kokomo earned recognition as Britain's most genuine and tradition-rooted funk band of the 1970s, eclipsing both Gonzalez and the Average White Band in that regard. While many contemporaries prioritized technical precision modeled on leading American ensembles, Kokomo instead prioritized the music's inherent groove, an approach that distinguished them for critics and fans alike.
Its ten-piece lineup drew from strikingly different histories: saxophonist Mel Collins arrived from King Crimson, guitarist Neil Hubbard and bassist Alan Spenner from Joe Cocker's Grease Band, and vocalist Frank Collins from 1960s pop act Arrival. Rather than remaining tied to the established soul and R&B circuit, the group surfaced on the U.K. pub rock scene, where its loose-limbed funk workouts stood alone until Roogalator and Supercharge emerged in 1975.
Early that year Kokomo moved beyond pubs via the independently organized Naughty Rhythms tour, which also featured Dr. Feelgood and Chilli Willie & the Red Hot Peppers and represented the first organized push to extend pub rock beyond London into the provinces. Graham Parker later noted that witnessing the package helped spark his own career. CBS signed the band and released its self-titled debut album that summer. During a July trip to New York to promote the record in the United States, Bob Dylan recruited the musicians for early Desire sessions; the Latin-flavored "Romance in Durango" appeared on the finished album, "Catfish" later surfaced on The Bootleg Series, and a disco-inflected version of "Hurricane" stayed unreleased.
Following the album's number 34 placement on the U.S. R&B chart, Kokomo returned for a U.K. tour that autumn, though changes soon followed. Drummer Terry Stannard gave way to American-born John Sussewell, while guitarist Jim Mullen and percussionist Jody Linscott departed before work began on the second album, Rise and Shine.
Previewed by the minor U.S. hit "Use Your Imagination," Rise and Shine drew criticism as a reheated version of its predecessor. The band apparently concurred, splitting in January 1977. Sporadic reunion shows occurred afterward, and a 1982 studio return produced another album titled Kokomo, though the reunion was never meant to last and the members parted ways again shortly after its release.
