Early Life
Napoleon was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 30, 1978. He is the son of Greg and Davi Napoleon and the grandson of Jack Skurnick and Fay Kleinman. He has one younger brother, Brian Napoleon. His family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, when Napoleon was young. He studied violin in the Ann Arbor schools before discovering the guitar. He married Alison Rogers Napoleon in 2010. One of Napoleon's formative experiences was in a big band at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School, led by the trumpeter Louis Smith. He also played at the jazz clubs in Ann Arbor and learned from jam sessions at the now defunct Bird of Paradise Club, where he also heard master jazz artists play. Early opportunities at the Del Rio, a local bar, and at events sponsored by WEMU, a local NPR jazz radio station, helped launch his career. Napoleon went on to study at the University of Michigan School of Music. He moved to New York City after graduating in 1999.
Read more about this topic: Randy Napoleon
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