Argentine rock and blues guitar player and composer, born on March 10, 1950 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and died on February 24, 2005 in Lujan, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (motorcycle accident).
Norberto Napolitano, better known as Pappo Napolitano, was born on March 10th, 1950. In 1967, after playing with his teen band Los Buitres, his drummer friend Héctor "Pomo" Lorenzo introduced him to Miguel Abuelo and poet Pipo Lernoud. Pappo then joined Los Abuelos De La Nada.
Pappo played piano (!) with Manal during a coast tour and later joined beat group Conexión No. 5 for a brief period of time. Credited as Pappo's, he recorded a song ("Nunca lo sabrán") for another compilation: Pidamos peras a Mandioca (MLP 335).
In 1969, Los Gatos called him to replace Kay Galiffi. With Pappo on guitar, the pioneer beat combo turned rocker and released two albums. He later joined the short-lived groups Engranaje and Pistola
On 1971 he formed Pappo's Blues with David Lebon on bass and Black Amaya on Drums. He would proceed to release 9 LPs between 1971 and 1995, with various disbandments and regroups.
On 1972 he played on the first two Billy Bond Y La Pesada Del Rock And Roll LPs. Pushed by producer Jorge Álvarez, he finally formed his own group, Pappo's Blues, with David Lebon (credited as "Davies") on bass and Black Amaya on drums.
On 1977, after he disbanded Pappo's Blues, he traveled to Brasil and together with Alejandro Medina and Rolando Castello Jr he formed Aeroblus. They managed to create only one LP. His sound was closer to Heavy Metal and blues, it would create the basis for his next group. Riff
Later, he would travel to Europe and come in contact with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. After experimenting on 1979 with Aeroblus, in 1980, wanting to do something akin to it, but not wanting to change Pappo's Blues's theme, he made Riff together with Michel Peyronel on drums, Boff Serafine on guitar, Juan Carlos García James on vocals and Vitico on bass. He made a last tour with Pappo's Blues called Adios Pappo's Blues, hola Riff (Goodbye Pappo's Blues, hello Riff).
By the end of the 80s, he traveled to Los Angeles and returned as part of an American group, Widowmakers. They would tour through all South American and disband soon after.
On 1991 he re-grouped both Pappo's Blues and Riff and alternated between both bands. He would continue to release albums with both until his death by accident on 2005.