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

“C” is for Culp, Napoleon Brown (1929-2008). Musician. “Nappy Brown” was born in Charlotte but became identified as a South Carolina artist after settling in the Columbia area in the late 1960s. He got his start in gospel music in the 1940s as a member of the Golden Bells, Selah Jubilee Singers, and Heavenly Lights. After returning to rhythm and blues in the mid-1950s he became a mainstay at Savoy Records, recording the national hits “Don't Be Angry,” “Pitter Patter” and “It Don't Hurt No More.” Brown's intense shouting rhythm and blue's 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 once again became a fixture on the contemporary blues scene in the 1980s.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.