All we really know about John Henry “Big Man” Arnold comes from biographies of Josh White, who Arnold hired as a “lead boy” at the age of 7. The year was 1921 and Arnold was one of many blind blues musicians working the Southeast, busking on the street and playing at parties or wherever he could get work. White would help Arnold with day-to-day chores, travel, and to help entertain. for this service, Arnold would send White’s mother four dollars each week. As Arnold and White traveled everywhere from Texas to Florida, they witnessed many atrocities of the Jim Crow South. One instance that stuck with White forever is described in our podcast episode, link below. Josh White had developed into quite a performer, playing tambourine, singing, dancing, and eventually becoming better than Arnold on the guitar. In fact, Arnold began renting White out to other blind musicians for a while.