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 and he attended school in
Charlotte, North Carolina.
Early career He began his career singing
gospel music before switching to
R&B. In 1954 he won a recording contract with
Savoy Records, which yielded a series of hits, including "Don't Be Angry" (No. 2 R&B, No. 25 pop, 1955), "Pitter Patter" (No. 10 R&B, 1955), "Little By Little" (No. 57 pop, 1956), and "It Don't Hurt No More" (No. 8 R&B, No. 89 pop, 1958). Brown was among the biggest stars in R&B, frequently touring with the 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.
Elvis Presley reportedly used to see Brown perform whenever he appeared in
Memphis.
1980s comeback In the early 1980s, 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
fan of Brown, Brown returned to the
music industry, 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. Other recordings followed. Brown's
Savoy Records hit, "Piddly Patter" was featured in the
John Waters film,
Cry-Baby, starring
Johnny Depp.
Later life Nappy Brown's final album,
Long Time Coming, recorded in May 2007, on
Blind Pig Records, was released on September 25, 2007. Reviews were positive; the album and Brown were each nominated for a
Blues Music Award. The album,
produced by
Scott Cable, featured the guitarists
Sean Costello,
Bob Margolin,
Junior Watson, Joe Sunseri 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. Brown was a musical guest on
Garrison Keillor's
Prairie Home Companion on October 20, 2007. At the ceremony for the
Blues Music Awards in May 2008, Brown gave one last performance, capping a significant 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 died in his sleep on September 20, 2008, at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brown was inducted into the
Blues Hall of Fame on August 24, 2002. Nappy Brown's 1956 recording of "Open Up That Door", is featured in a national commercial for Google, as of June 2020. ==Recordings==