Napoleon Brown Culp (October 12, 1929 – September 20, 2008), better known by his stage name Nappy Brown, was an American R & B singer. His hits include the 1955 Billboard Charted (No 2), "Don't Be Angry" and "Night Time Is the Right Time".
Nappy Brown was the son of Kathryn Culp and Sammie Lee Brown. After his mother died he was brought up by Fred and Maggie Culp. They attended Gethsemane AME Zion Church, where at age nine, Brown began singing in the gospel choir. His recording career began as a member of the gospel group the Heavenly Lights. In the mid-'50s Herman Lubinsky, the owner of Brown's label Savoy Records, convinced Brown to switch over to secular music, and the decision turned out to be a good one. His first hit was "Don't Be Angry," which featured Brown's distinctive vocal mannerism of rolling his "l"s. Another of his early recordings was of his composition "(Night Time is the) Right Time," which became a hit in the hands of Ray Charles.
Brown was among the biggest stars in R&B, frequently touring with the legendary revues of Alan Freed. His songs, along with those of his peers and contemporaries (such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Fats Domino), were among the first wave of African-American pop music to become noticed and popular with white audiences. In addition to Brown's influence on blues music, and 1950s R&B and pop, Brown widely viewed as a key contributor in the development of Soul music
By the ‘60s Brown had largely gone back to gospel, and he performed relatively little in the 1970s. In the early 1980's European fans of Brown's early records sparked a career revival, but the excitement of his comeback died down by the end of the decade. In the same decade, a renewed interest in R&B led to some of Brown's early songs being released on European albums. At the urging of Bob Margolin, former guitarist for Muddy Waters's band and a huge fan of Brown, Brown returned to the music business, beginning with a successful tour of Scandinavia in 1983. In 1984, 14 years since his last recording, Brown signed with Landslide Records and released the album "Tore Up" with "The Heartfixers",
Brown's Savoy Records hit, Piddly Patter was featured in the John Waters film, Cry-Baby, starring Johnny Depp.
Nappy Brown's final album, "Long Time Coming" -- recorded in May 2007 -- on "Blind Pig Records", was released on September 25th, 2007. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The album and Brown were each nominated for a Blues Music Award (the genre's highest honor) The album, produced by Scott Cable, features the guitarists Sean Costello, Bob Margolin, Junior Watson, and other special guests performing Brown's hits and several new songs. In the fall of 2007, Nappy Brown was "Living Blues Magazine's" September cover artist, and followed that honor with a European tour. Nappy Brown was a musical guest on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, October 20th, 2007.
At the ceremony for the Blues Music Awards in May 2008, Brown gave one last electrifying performance, capping an incredible comeback year. On June 1, 2008 following a performance at the Crawfish Festival in Augusta, New Jersey, Brown fell ill due to series of ailments and was hospitalized. He never fully recovered. He died in his sleep on September 20, 2008 at Mercy Hospital in his home town of Charlotte, North Carolina. He was buried in Charlotte at Gethsemane Memorial Garden near the church where he began singing over seventy years earlier.
Nappy Brown was the son of Kathryn Culp and Sammie Lee Brown. After his mother died he was brought up by Fred and Maggie Culp. They attended Gethsemane AME Zion Church, where at age nine, Brown began singing in the gospel choir. His recording career began as a member of the gospel group the Heavenly Lights. In the mid-'50s Herman Lubinsky, the owner of Brown's label Savoy Records, convinced Brown to switch over to secular music, and the decision turned out to be a good one. His first hit was "Don't Be Angry," which featured Brown's distinctive vocal mannerism of rolling his "l"s. Another of his early recordings was of his composition "(Night Time is the) Right Time," which became a hit in the hands of Ray Charles.
Brown was among the biggest stars in R&B, frequently touring with the legendary revues of Alan Freed. His songs, along with those of his peers and contemporaries (such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Fats Domino), were among the first wave of African-American pop music to become noticed and popular with white audiences. In addition to Brown's influence on blues music, and 1950s R&B and pop, Brown widely viewed as a key contributor in the development of Soul music
By the ‘60s Brown had largely gone back to gospel, and he performed relatively little in the 1970s. In the early 1980's European fans of Brown's early records sparked a career revival, but the excitement of his comeback died down by the end of the decade. In the same decade, a renewed interest in R&B led to some of Brown's early songs being released on European albums. At the urging of Bob Margolin, former guitarist for Muddy Waters's band and a huge fan of Brown, Brown returned to the music business, beginning with a successful tour of Scandinavia in 1983. In 1984, 14 years since his last recording, Brown signed with Landslide Records and released the album "Tore Up" with "The Heartfixers",
Brown's Savoy Records hit, Piddly Patter was featured in the John Waters film, Cry-Baby, starring Johnny Depp.
Nappy Brown's final album, "Long Time Coming" -- recorded in May 2007 -- on "Blind Pig Records", was released on September 25th, 2007. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The album and Brown were each nominated for a Blues Music Award (the genre's highest honor) The album, produced by Scott Cable, features the guitarists Sean Costello, Bob Margolin, Junior Watson, and other special guests performing Brown's hits and several new songs. In the fall of 2007, Nappy Brown was "Living Blues Magazine's" September cover artist, and followed that honor with a European tour. Nappy Brown was a musical guest on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, October 20th, 2007.
At the ceremony for the Blues Music Awards in May 2008, Brown gave one last electrifying performance, capping an incredible comeback year. On June 1, 2008 following a performance at the Crawfish Festival in Augusta, New Jersey, Brown fell ill due to series of ailments and was hospitalized. He never fully recovered. He died in his sleep on September 20, 2008 at Mercy Hospital in his home town of Charlotte, North Carolina. He was buried in Charlotte at Gethsemane Memorial Garden near the church where he began singing over seventy years earlier.
Napoleon Brown Culp (October 12, 1929 – September 20, 2008), better known by his stage name Nappy Brown, was an American R & B singer. His hits include the 1955 Billboard Charted (No 2), "Don't Be Angry" and "Night Time Is the Right Time".
Nappy Brown was the son of Kathryn Culp and Sammie Lee Brown. After his mother died he was brought up by Fred and Maggie Culp. They attended Gethsemane AME Zion Church, where at age nine, Brown began singing in the gospel choir. His recording career began as a member of the gospel group the Heavenly Lights. In the mid-'50s Herman Lubinsky, the owner of Brown's label Savoy Records, convinced Brown to switch over to secular music, and the decision turned out to be a good one. His first hit was "Don't Be Angry," which featured Brown's distinctive vocal mannerism of rolling his "l"s. Another of his early recordings was of his composition "(Night Time is the) Right Time," which became a hit in the hands of Ray Charles.
Brown was among the biggest stars in R&B, frequently touring with the legendary revues of Alan Freed. His songs, along with those of his peers and contemporaries (such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Fats Domino), were among the first wave of African-American pop music to become noticed and popular with white audiences. In addition to Brown's influence on blues music, and 1950s R&B and pop, Brown widely viewed as a key contributor in the development of Soul music
By the ‘60s Brown had largely gone back to gospel, and he performed relatively little in the 1970s. In the early 1980's European fans of Brown's early records sparked a career revival, but the excitement of his comeback died down by the end of the decade. In the same decade, a renewed interest in R&B led to some of Brown's early songs being released on European albums. At the urging of Bob Margolin, former guitarist for Muddy Waters's band and a huge fan of Brown, Brown returned to the music business, beginning with a successful tour of Scandinavia in 1983. In 1984, 14 years since his last recording, Brown signed with Landslide Records and released the album "Tore Up" with "The Heartfixers",
Brown's Savoy Records hit, Piddly Patter was featured in the John Waters film, Cry-Baby, starring Johnny Depp.
Nappy Brown's final album, "Long Time Coming" -- recorded in May 2007 -- on "Blind Pig Records", was released on September 25th, 2007. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The album and Brown were each nominated for a Blues Music Award (the genre's highest honor) The album, produced by Scott Cable, features the guitarists Sean Costello, Bob Margolin, Junior Watson, and other special guests performing Brown's hits and several new songs. In the fall of 2007, Nappy Brown was "Living Blues Magazine's" September cover artist, and followed that honor with a European tour. Nappy Brown was a musical guest on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, October 20th, 2007.
At the ceremony for the Blues Music Awards in May 2008, Brown gave one last electrifying performance, capping an incredible comeback year. On June 1, 2008 following a performance at the Crawfish Festival in Augusta, New Jersey, Brown fell ill due to series of ailments and was hospitalized. He never fully recovered. He died in his sleep on September 20, 2008 at Mercy Hospital in his home town of Charlotte, North Carolina. He was buried in Charlotte at Gethsemane Memorial Garden near the church where he began singing over seventy years earlier.
Nappy Brown was the son of Kathryn Culp and Sammie Lee Brown. After his mother died he was brought up by Fred and Maggie Culp. They attended Gethsemane AME Zion Church, where at age nine, Brown began singing in the gospel choir. His recording career began as a member of the gospel group the Heavenly Lights. In the mid-'50s Herman Lubinsky, the owner of Brown's label Savoy Records, convinced Brown to switch over to secular music, and the decision turned out to be a good one. His first hit was "Don't Be Angry," which featured Brown's distinctive vocal mannerism of rolling his "l"s. Another of his early recordings was of his composition "(Night Time is the) Right Time," which became a hit in the hands of Ray Charles.
Brown was among the biggest stars in R&B, frequently touring with the legendary revues of Alan Freed. His songs, along with those of his peers and contemporaries (such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Fats Domino), were among the first wave of African-American pop music to become noticed and popular with white audiences. In addition to Brown's influence on blues music, and 1950s R&B and pop, Brown widely viewed as a key contributor in the development of Soul music
By the ‘60s Brown had largely gone back to gospel, and he performed relatively little in the 1970s. In the early 1980's European fans of Brown's early records sparked a career revival, but the excitement of his comeback died down by the end of the decade. In the same decade, a renewed interest in R&B led to some of Brown's early songs being released on European albums. At the urging of Bob Margolin, former guitarist for Muddy Waters's band and a huge fan of Brown, Brown returned to the music business, beginning with a successful tour of Scandinavia in 1983. In 1984, 14 years since his last recording, Brown signed with Landslide Records and released the album "Tore Up" with "The Heartfixers",
Brown's Savoy Records hit, Piddly Patter was featured in the John Waters film, Cry-Baby, starring Johnny Depp.
Nappy Brown's final album, "Long Time Coming" -- recorded in May 2007 -- on "Blind Pig Records", was released on September 25th, 2007. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The album and Brown were each nominated for a Blues Music Award (the genre's highest honor) The album, produced by Scott Cable, features the guitarists Sean Costello, Bob Margolin, Junior Watson, and other special guests performing Brown's hits and several new songs. In the fall of 2007, Nappy Brown was "Living Blues Magazine's" September cover artist, and followed that honor with a European tour. Nappy Brown was a musical guest on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, October 20th, 2007.
At the ceremony for the Blues Music Awards in May 2008, Brown gave one last electrifying performance, capping an incredible comeback year. On June 1, 2008 following a performance at the Crawfish Festival in Augusta, New Jersey, Brown fell ill due to series of ailments and was hospitalized. He never fully recovered. He died in his sleep on September 20, 2008 at Mercy Hospital in his home town of Charlotte, North Carolina. He was buried in Charlotte at Gethsemane Memorial Garden near the church where he began singing over seventy years earlier.
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