Nappy Brown
Appearing as a special guest with Bob Margolin, Nappy Brown is truly a legend. The mid-1950s was an era of radical musical change. Big-voiced Blues shouters belted out their tunes backed by rocking bands of guitars, drums and horns. During these golden years, a group of performers emerged in the forefront as pioneers of this sound. Napoleon “Nappy” Brown was one of these.
A big man with an incredible amount of energy, Nappy became famous for his wild stage antics. Touring with the likes of Little Richard and Jackie Wilson, Nappy always got the crowds involved in his performances, often getting in the audience down on his knees and singing or dancing with the ladies.
Between 1955 and 1959, Brown appeared over and over on Billboard’s R&B charts, with hits like Don’t Be Angry, which reached number two nationwide. Other big songs for Nappy included Pitter Patter in 1955, It Don’t Hurt No More in 1958, and I Cried Like A Baby in 1959. But probably the song that had the biggest impact for Nappy was a tune he wrote and recorded, but is best remembered as a hit for Ray Charles--Night Time Is The Right Time.
Settling down in a small town in South Carolina, Nappy concentrated his singing efforts towards gospel during the 1970s and early 1980s. But renewed interest in his R&B recordings abroad and the re-release of a number of his early songs on albums in Europe resulted in a highly successful Scandinavian tour in 1983. Today his appearances are fewer, but he still regularly appears at Blues festivals, where his huge voice and slightly ribald stage antics never fail to bring down the house. Nappy plans a new CD release later this year on Blind Pig. We are honored to be able to bring such a renowned artist to Blues Fest.
Posted by bluesy on 08/15 at 07:18 PM
Blues Fest 2007 •
I would like to know when will Nappy Brown be performing in the Carolinas.
Posted by on 08/27 at 03:07 PM