He's not fat. He's not ugly. And he doesn't have unsightly pimples. That -
combined with a sweet voice - has turned James Madison basketball player John
Naparlo into a budding country music singer.
Naparlo, whose stage name is Johnny Napp, will open for Big Al Downing at the
3,500-capacity Norva in Norfolk on July 1, the same day his debut album, "Cowboy
Up and Party Down," is expected to hit stores.
"I'm definitely looking forward to it," Naparlo said this week from
his home in Williamsburg. "It hasn't really hit me, but it's getting closer
and closer."
That show will only be a warm-up for bigger things, however. On Aug. 27, Naparlo
is scheduled to open for renowned country music "outlaw" David Allan
Coe, again at the Norva.
The 37-year country music veteran Cow, whose best-known song is "Take This
Job and Shove It," isn't exactly the sort of family entertainment that
makes image-conscious college athletic officials beam, but there's no doubt
that performing with him is a huge step for a no-name singer like Naparlo.
It's awesome in the early stages that we are trying to do some stuff like this,"
Naparlo said. "It's going to be awesome to be able to put that on the resume,
and that David Allan Coe is willing to put me on there."
A Ricky Nelson Voice?
But according to Doc Holiday, Naparlo's producer, the 21-year-old has talent,
and Holiday's word apparently carries clout in the country music business. Albums
he has produced have earned 17 first-round Grammy nominations. He is especially
well-known in the Tidewater area, home of his Power Plant Studio in Hampton."His voice is great," Holiday said of Naparlo. "He sounds a lot
like Tim McGraw, but it's got a little softer edge to it that kind of reminds
you of Ricky Nelson…. Plus, he's a great-looking kid, and it's a cosmetic
business whether you like it or not. Fat and ugly guys with pimples are not
going to get it done.
Holiday didn't have to discover Naparlo. The 6-foot-3, 180 pound shooting guard's
father, Joseph, took him to Holiday's doorstep.
"His father's a character," Holiday said. "He came right in the
door at our studio in Hampton a couple of years ago and said, 'I'm Joe Naparlo,
this is what I want to do.' I said, 'Well we don't really do that; we only work
with major artists.' He said, 'Well, my kid's going to be one of them.'"
Holiday eventually came to agree and pulled as many strings as he could to help
Naparlo put together an album when Naparlo decided to begin work on the project
at the end of last summer. The CD was recorded over a six-month period - between
Naparlo's classes and game - at the Quad Studios in Nashville, Tenn., considered
one of the best in a city that defines country music.
Holiday recruited what he called "13 of the top songwriters in Nashville"
to write Naparlo's songs and several accomplished musicians to accompany Naparlo
on the album. Included were keyboardist Mark Jordan, who served as Wynonna Judd's
conductor, David Roe, who played bass for Johnny Cash the last 14 years of the
Man in Black's life, and drummer Craig Krampf, who has played on tour with Lynyrd
Skynyrd. The album was engineered by Bobby Bradley, who has worked with Alan
Jackson and George Jones.
"I can't say enough about how much Doc hooked it up on the album,"
Naparlo said. "We had some prime time players on the instrumental."
The Coe Factor:
The musicians will continue to play with Naparlo at the Norva. They'll be with
him for the opening shows with Big Al Downing, who turned down a basketball
at Kansas State to become a country singer, as well as the show with Coe in
front of what will probably be a rowdy audience. "We had a talk about it," Holiday said. "I told him, 'You got
to come out smoking. This guy's a maniac and he brings a biker crowd. They're
going to want you to kick [butt]. He knows what he's gotta do."
For a white guy playing college basketball, opening with Coe also raises another
question. Though Coe has been arguing for years that he is not racist, a series
of albums released in the 1970s have earned him a reputation as such that sticks
with him to this day.
Naparlo expects his teammates, most of whom are black, to understand that he
is simply trying to get his name and his music in front of the public. "All of those guys know who I am and where I am trying to get," Naparlo
said. "They respect me and I respect them. They know that I don't have
the same beliefs as him just because I'm opening for him. I don't think it's
going to be a problem at all."
Said JMU coach Dean Keener: "I'm unaware of David Allan Coe's background,
so I wouldn't be able to make a comment."
It should be noted that Downing, the first artist Naparlo will open for, is
black.
While most of the Dukes listen to hip-hop, at least one of Naparlo's teammates
has been impressed by the album, which can be heard on his website, www.johnnynapp.com.
"I'm telling you, it's a great album," senior forward David Cooper
said. "If you heard it, you wouldn't even believe it was him. I thought
it was a celeb."
Cooper said he's going to Naparlo's first show and is trying to bring as many
teammates as possible.
"Quote me on this," Cooper said, "everybody that's anybody should
be there."
Meanwhile, as Naparlo prepares for his debut, the accounting major also is working
for his father's food company, N&R Dining, which runs several Burger King
restaurants in the Tidewater area.
As for hoops, Naparlo is working out and looking for pickup games in preparation
for his senior basketball season. He'll be trying to erase the memories of the
slump that plagued him in his junior year, when he averaged just 1.8 points
in 13.7 minutes per game, shooting under 26 percent from the field.
"Basketball and academics are still my primary focus," Naparlo said.
"I doubt I'll do anything in basketball after this, but I still want to
go out on a good note."
An start his music career on a good one as well.