Nappy Brown is the stage name of Napoleon Brown Culp (born October 12, 1929). Brown is a gospel-influenced blues singer, whose hits include the 1955 Billboard Chart No 2, Don't Be Angry and Night Time Is the Right Time. His style is readily recognizable; Brown uses a wide vibrato, melisma, and distinctive extra syllables, in particular, "li-li-li-li-li".

Early career
As a youth, Brown was a member of several Gospel groups, including the Heavenly Lights. His gospel singing attracted the interest of Savoy Records, who signed him as an R&B artist in 1954. At his first recording session, according to frequently repeated anecdotes, Brown's unique delivery featuring rolled consonants and improvised syllables allegedly led Savoy president Herman Lubinsky to believe that Brown was singing in Yiddish.

Brown's breakthrough came with the 1955 release of Don't Be Angry, which reached No. 2 in the Billboard Charts. In the following four years he released hits including Piddly Patter in 1955, It Don't Hurt No More in 1958, and I Cried Like A Baby in 1959. Notably, he wrote and recorded Night Time Is the Right Time in 1957; the song was to be a hit for Ray Charles in 1958. Nappy Brown toured as part of all-star package shows with many of the other top musical entertainers of the day, including Jackie Wilson, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Holly. Brown continued touring into the 1960s, and released the album Thanks for Nothing in 1969, after a recording gap of some years. He spent much of the 1960s and 1970s concentrating on Gospel music while working regular jobs.

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' band and a huge fan of Brown, he 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 an album called 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.

Present
Nappy Brown's recently recorded album, Long Time Coming -- recorded in May of 2007 -- on Blind Pig Records, was released on September 25th, 2007. Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive (4-1/2 stars from the All Music Guide), and the album has been nominated for a Blues Music Award (the genre's highest honor), as has Brown. The album features the guitarists Sean Costello, Bob Margolin, Junior Watson, and other special guests performing Brown's hits and several new songs. Nappy Brown was Living Blues Magazine's September cover artist, and has just returned from a fall 2007 European tour. Nappy Brown was a musical guest on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, October 20th, 2007.