Nappy BROWN - Long Time Coming 2007

Nappy BROWN - Long Time Coming  2007

Blues

Nappy Brown was an R&B star in the 1950s, but he dropped below the radar for many years, making a brief comeback in the `80s. He re-emerged once more in time for what would be his swan song, 2007's aptly titled LONG TIME COMING. Its mix of classic ...    Full DescriptionR&B, jump blues, and Chicago sounds, energized by Brown's surprisingly youthful-sounding voice, ensured that Brown, who died in 2008, went out on a high note.
From CD Universe.
**
Napoleon 'Nappy’ Brown first emerged as one of the finest Blues singers in the business in the mid 1950s, along with fellow big-voiced shouters Big Joe Turner and Wynonie Harris. Over fifty years later, and the voice that greets you on the opening track of 'Long Time Coming', 'Keep On Pleasin You’, has lost little of its potency.

Clearly influenced by Blues and Gospel, it’s only natural that these styles dominate the album. However, some big band, rock 'n’ roll and even country influences raise their heads from time to time, adding refreshing dimensions to Nappy’s sound. Nappy’s voice ranges from the soulful Gospel melisma of 'Give Me Your Love’, to the husky Blues holler 'That Man’. Nappy Brown recreates some of his biggest hits here with devastating effect, and the presence of his stellar young band lends an exciting new energy to old standards such as 'Don’t Be Angry’.

Another of Brown’s signature songs to receive a fresh interpretation on 'Long Time Coming' is 'Right Time’, a song that was a big hit in the late 1950s when Ray Charles covered it. Acoustic number, 'Cherry Red’, delivers a well-timed departure from the upbeat Blues grooves and powerful Soul ballads that make up the majority of the album. Featuring ex-Muddy Waters guitarist Bob Margolin, who lays down some beautifully jazzy country Blues licks behind Nappy’s emotive vocal performance.

All in all, 'Long Time Coming' is a return to form for the seventy-nine year old, having been largely absent from the Blues scene since the 1980s. It acts as a tribute to and a reminder of the singer’s best work, and is sure to introduce a new generation of Blues fans to one of the finest singers the genre has produced.
By Rhys Williams.
**
Born: October 12, 1929 | Died: September 20, 2008
Born Napoleon Culp, he borrowed his father’s surname, Brown. He had a deep, raw voice and a powerful delivery derived from gospel. In songs like “Don’t Be Angry” and “Piddily Patter Patter” (also known as “Pitter Patter”) he developed a driving but still light approach with a basic blues band and lots of wordplay.

During his heyday, in the mid to late 50s, Nappy was a prolific recording artist for Savoy Records and a much-in-demand stage performer, often playing every night and touring all over the country. During that period he traveled and performed with Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Little Richard, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, and T-Bone Walker. He provided ground-breaking hit songs for other artists, one of his biggest being “Night Time Is The Right Time” which was recorded and made famous by Ray Charles in 1958.

Nappy Brown was active as a performer until the end, performing until his illness was too much. His last cd was recorded with a group of younger musicians with an abiding knowledge of and respect for Nappy's music and the era of its greatest success. Guitarists Sean Costello and Junior Watson, among others, provided superb backing for Nappy on Long Time Coming, his first studio recording in many years, which was released by Blind Pig Records on September 25, 2007. Said an exultant Nappy at the end of the recording sessions, “This is the best record I have done since 1955.”
**
Bob Margolin- Guitar
Henry Gray- Piano
Jim Pugh- Hammond B-3 Organ
Sean Costello- Guitar
John Nemeth- Harmonica
Nappy Brown- Vocals
John Nemeth- Harmonica
Junior Watson- Guitar
Kid Ramos- Guitar
Bob Corritore- Harmonica
Mario Moreno- Bass guitar
Johnny Rapp- Guitar
Big Joe Maher- Drums
Chico Chism- Drums
Broke And Hungry Quartet- Background vocals
Clark Stern- Piano
Joe Sunseri- Baritone saxophone
Mighty Lester- Horns
Mookie Brill- Harmonica, bass guitar
**
01. Keep On Pleasin' You 3:07
02. You Were a Long Time Coming 4:13
03. Don't Be Angry 2:25  
04. Give Me Your Love 4:49 
05. That Man 3:09  
06. Right Time (associated with Ray Charles as "Night Time Is The Right Time") 3:31 
07. Who 4:36
08. Cherry Red 4:03  
09. Aw Shucks Baby 3:00
10. Every Shut Eye Ain't Sleepin' 5:44  
11. Bye Bye Baby 3:39  
12. Take Care of Me 4:27
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Nappy BROWN - Something Gonna Jump Out The Bushes 1987

Nappy BROWN - Something Gonna Jump Out The Bushes 1987
Label: BLACK TOP

Blues

Out of all the Nappy Brown I have heard, this is the best one. It features Anson Funderburgh & Ronnie Earl, they do all the guitar work. Great vocals, and song selection, with these two guitarist how could it go wrong. Sound quality is also excellent, and this a nice long player. This is well worth a listen, so why not give it a try.
By  Ronnie Cowlishaw Sr.
**
Ultra-solid support from guitarists Anson Funderburgh, Eugene Ross, Ronnie Earl, and Earl King and Black Top's superb house horn section make this Dallas-cut set Brown's best contemporary album to date. His lusty shouting style works well on covers of the Dominoes' "Have Mercy Baby," the "5" Royales' title track, a pair of Earl King-penned numbers, and Robert Ward's "Your Love Is Real."
By Bill Dahl, All Music Guide.
**
01. Have Mercy, Mercy Baby! 3:31 
02. Dirty Work 3:06 
03. I'm With You All The Way 4:03
04. Something Gonna Jump Out The Bushes 3:17  
05. You Mean More To Me Than Gold 3:29  
06. Flamingo 2:56 
07. My Jug and I 3:47  
08. Life's Ups and Downs 2:58  
09. Your Love Is Real 3:01 
10. You Were A Long Time Coming 3:04  
11. Nothing Takes The Place Of You 3:49  
12. I'm Walking Out On You 3:38
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Nappy BROWN - I'm a Wild Man 1994

Nappy BROWN - I'm a Wild Man  1994
Label: New Moon

Blues

He was born Napoleon Brown Culp in North Carolina in 1929, but by 1955 he was New York City's Nappy Brown and had the number-two R&B record in the whole country, "Don't Be Angry." Brown also recorded the original version of Ray Charles's "(The Night Time Is) The Right Time"; he claims he's the uncredited composer as well. After the R&B hits dried up, he went back to gospel music only to reemerge on the blues-revival circuit in 1984. "I'm a Wild Man," released in 1997, was recorded in 1994. His voice is in good shape on the tongue-in-cheek swagger of uptempo blues such as the title track and the seductive purr of soul ballads such as "Sittin' in the Dark." The arrangements are generic blues-revival formulas, but Brown's big voice comes booming through in any case. By Geoffrey Himes.
**
Nappy Brown- Vocals
Scott Adair- Sax (Baritone)   
Skeeter Brandon- Piano, Organ (Hammond)   
Ed Butler- Drums, Noise, Laughs
Michael Belanger- Noise, Laughs
Chip Crawford- Horn Arrangements
Max Drake- Guitar
Shelly Flynt- Vocals (Bckgr)
Randy Friel- Piano, Organ (Hammond), Vocals (Bckgr), Clavinet,
Calvin "Loudmouth" Johnson- Bass, Noise, Laughs
Allison King- Vocals (Bckgr)
Armand Lenchek- Guitar
Bob Margolin- Guitar, Vocals
Phil Mazerick- Piano
Dillard Moss- Trombone
Bill Newton- Saxophone
Kirsten O'Rourke- Vocals (Bckgr)
Rusty Smith- Trumpet
Wally West Sax- (Tenor)
Annie Woods- Vocals (Bckgr)
**
01. Who, What, Where and When
02. Lonely and Blue
03. In the Darkest Hour
04. Shake, Rattle & Roll
05. Sittin' in the Dark
06. I'm a Wild Man
07. Don't Hurt No More
08. You Will or You Won't
09. Give Me Your Love
10. Love Me Like You Used to Do
*
NoPassword
*
Dlink
*

Nappy BROWN - Don't Be Angry 1954

Nappy BROWN - Don't Be Angry 1954
Label: Savoy Jazz
Audio CD (March 28, 1995)

Blues

Rolling his consonants like a crazed cantor, shouter Nappy Brown brought a gospel-imbued fervor to his rocking mid-'50s R&B that few of his peers could match. Backed by some of New York's finest sessioneers, Brown roars 16 of his best early Savoy sides on this essential purchase. "Don't Be Angry," "Just a Little Love," "Open Up That Door," and "Bye Bye Baby" rate with his hottest jump efforts, "I Cried like a Baby" and "It's Really You" are hair-raising blues, and "Little by Little" rides a bouncy, pop-accessible groove.
By Bill Dahl, All Music Guide.
**
Nappy Brown- Vocals,
Jimmy Cleveland- Trombone,
Budd Johnson- Sax Baritone, Sax Tenor,
Freddy Johnson- Piano,
Al Sears- Sax Tenor,
Dave Bailey- Drums,
Leonard Gaskin- Bass,
Mickey Baker- Guitar,
Sam "The Man" Taylor- Sax (Tenor,
Sammy Price- Piano,
Connie Kay- Drums,
Abie Baker- Bass,
Robert Banks- Organ,
Everett Barksdale- Guitar,
George Berg- Sax Baritone,
Howard Biggs- Piano,
Jimmy Crawford- Drums,
Panama Francis- Drums,
Milt Hinton- Bass,
Reunald Jones- Trumpet,
Jimmy Schenck- Bass,
Maurice Simon- Sax Baritone,
Sam Price- Piano,
Red Alcott- Drums,
Fred Johnson- Piano.
**
01. Is It True (2:52)
02. That Man (3:04)
03. I Wonder (3:06)
04. Two Faced Woman (2:31)
05. Just A Little Love (2:14)
06. It's Really You (3:03)
07. Don't Be Angry (2:27)
08. Land I Love (2:48)
09. I'm In The Mood (2:39)
10. Open Up That Door (2:22)
11. I Want To Live (2:28)
12. Skiddy Woe (2:58)
13. I'm Getting Lonesome (2:28)
14. I Cried Like A Baby (2:41)
15. Bye Bye Baby (3:22)
16. Little By Little (2:34)
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Nappy BROWN - Deep Sea Diver 1989

Nappy BROWN - Deep Sea Diver  1989
Label: Grammercy
Audio CD: (April 10, 2003)

Blues

Nobody sounded much like Nappy Brown during the mid-'50s. Exotically rolling his consonants with sing-song impunity (allegedly, Savoy Records boss Herman Lubinsky thought Brown was singing in Yiddish), bellowing the blues with gospel-inspired ferocity, Brown rode rock & roll's first wave for a few glorious years before his records stopped selling. But in the early '80s, Brown seemingly rose from the dead to stage a comeback bid. He became ensconced once again as a venerable blues veteran who'd stop at nothing (including rolling around the stage in sexual simulation) to enthrall his audience.

Napoleon Brown's sanctified screams come naturally, he grew up in Charlotte, NC, singing gospel as well as blues. He was fronting a spiritual aggregation, the Heavenly Lights, who were signed to the roster of Newark, NJ's Savoy Records when Lubinsky convinced the leather-lunged shouter to cross the secular line in 1954. Voilà, Nappy Brown the R&B singer was born.

Brown brought hellfire intensity to his blues-soaked Savoy debut, "Is It True," but it was "Don't Be Angry" the next year that caused his fortunes to skyrocket. The sizzling rocker sported loads of Brown's unique vocal gimmicks and a hair-raising tenor sax solo by Sam "The Man" Taylor, becoming his first national smash. Those onboard New York session aces didn't hurt the overall ambience of Brown's Savoy dates, Taylor's scorching horn further enlivened "Open Up That Door," while Budd Johnson or Al Sears took over on other equally raucous efforts. Novelty-tinged upbeat items such as "Little by Little" and "Piddily Patter Patter" defined Brown's output, but his throat-busting turn on the 1957 blues number "The Right Time" (borrowed by Ray Charles in short order) remains a highlight of Brown's early heyday.

After decades away from the limelight, Brown resurfaced in 1984 with a very credible album for Landslide Records, Tore Up, with guitarist Tinsley Ellis' band, the Heartfixers. Later, he recorded a fine set for Black Top (Something Gonna Jump Out the Bushes) with Anson Funderburgh, Ronnie Earl, and Earl King sharing guitar duties, and some not-so-fine CDs for other logos.
By Bill Dahl, All Music Guide.
**
01. Mary Lue
02. Things Have Changed
03. Bye Bye Baby
04. Don't Hurt No More
05. Deep Sea Diver
06. Baby It's All Over
07. You Must Be Crazy
08. Wella Wella Baby Le
*
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Nappy BROWN - Just For Me 1988

Nappy BROWN - Just For Me 1988
Label: Jsp Records
Audio CD (September 10, 1996)

Blues

I can quite literally say that this is one of the most underrated...no, COMPLETELY IGNORED albums of all time. Such a strange, varied, unique, GREAT album.
I know what you're saying. "Who the hell is Nappy Brown?"
Why don't you find the hell out.
By Lander.
**
WELL SAID LANDER.
By themonk.
**
John Altman- Saxophone, Sax (Tenor)
Nappy Brown- Vocals, Producer
Big Jay McNeely- Sax (Tenor)
Geoff Nichols- Drums
Andy Pyle- Bass
Richard Studholme- Guitar, Harmonica
**
01. Night Time 6:04  
02. Bye Bye Baby 3:24  
03. Things Have Changed 7:27  
04. Just For Me 5:05
05. We Need To Love One Another 4:12
06. What More Can I Say 4:21 
07. You Must Be Crazy Woman 3:31 
08. Deap Sea Diver 4:38
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*