"C" is for Culp, Napoleon Brown (1929-2008)

"C" is for Culp, Napoleon Brown (1929-2008). Musician. “Nappy” Brown settled in the Columbia area in the 1960s and became identified as a South Carolina artist. He is best known, however, for the popular recordings he made in New Jersey during the heyday of rhythm and blues.  Brown began his career in gospel music with the Golden Bells and Selah Jubilee Singers. He was a mainstay at Savoy Records with such national hits as “Don’t Be Angry,” “Pitter Patter,” and “It Don’t Hurt No More.” Brown’s intense, shouting rhythm-and-blues vocal style remained rooted in gospel but was also distinguished by his unusual rolling of consonants. Drawing on his signature vocal style, uninhibited stage antics, and penchant for licentious lyrics, Napoleon Brown Culp became a fixture on the contemporary blues scene during the 1980s and 1990s.