Norman Brown was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on December 18, 1962, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He was about eight when he picked up his brother's acoustic guitar. Jimi Hendrix and the Isley Brothers were his first guitar heroes; the turn toward jazz came when he heard Wes Montgomery, one of his father's favorite guitarists. He moved to Los Angeles, studied at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, graduated in 1984 and joined the school's staff, where he was an instructor until 1998. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz carries an entry on him.

In 1991 he signed with Mo Jazz, the jazz imprint of Motown. His debut, Just Between Us (1992), was produced and mostly arranged by drummer Norman Connors, who is credited with discovering him; Brown co-produced seven tracks and wrote eight. The guest list was deep for a first record: Stevie Wonder sings and plays harmonica on "Too High" with Boyz II Men on backing vocals, Kirk Whalum (tenor saxophone) and Ronnie Laws (soprano saxophone) both play on "Stormin'," and Gerald Albright plays tenor saxophone on two tracks. The album also includes Earth, Wind & Fire's "Love's Holiday," written by Maurice White and Skip Scarborough, with Verdine White on bass. It reached No. 4 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. After the Storm (1994), which Brown produced himself and which includes a cover of Janet Jackson's "That's the Way Love Goes," went to No. 2 on the jazz albums chart, won a jazz album of the year award at the Soul Train Music Awards and stayed on the radio charts for more than two years. Better Days Ahead (1996), produced and arranged by Brown with Herman Jackson and Michael Vail Blum, brought him an American Jazz Award.

After a three-year gap he moved to Warner Bros. for Celebration (1999), produced by Brown, Paul Brown and Herman Jackson. Just Chillin' (July 2, 2002), produced mainly by Paul Brown, features the vocalists Michael McDonald, Miki Howard, Chanté Moore and Debi Nova, with Rick Braun on trumpet and flugelhorn. It won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 45th Grammy Awards in February 2003. In 2002 he had also formed BWB with Whalum and Braun; the trio's first album, Groovin' (Warner Bros.), was followed by Human Nature: The Songs of Michael Jackson (2013) and BWB (2016).

West Coast Coolin' (2004) was his last Warner Bros. album. On Stay with Me (2007, Peak), "Let's Take a Ride" was the No. 1 smooth jazz radio record of the summer according to Radio & Records. Sending My Love (2010) followed, and in 2012 he teamed with saxophonist Gerald Albright for 24/7 (Concord), whose "In the Moment" and "Champagne Life" both reached No. 1 on Smooth Jazz Airplay. 24/7 was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 55th Grammy Awards on February 10, 2013, in a field that included Larry Carlton and Dave Koz; the winner was Chris Botti's Impressions. That gives Brown one Grammy win and one further nomination.

Since 2017 his records have come out on Shanachie. Let It Go (2017) and The Highest Act of Love (2019) both reached No. 1 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. Let It Go includes a version of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" and has Whalum and Braun as guests on "Liberated." Heart to Heart (2020) opens with "Heading Wes" and has Peter White and Jeff Lorber among its guests. Let's Get Away (2022) contains "Wes Side Story," a piece written as a tribute to Montgomery. It Hits Different (2024) features Tom Schuman on "Strollin'." Authentically Norman, released on March 20, 2026 on Shanachie, is billed as his fifteenth album as a leader; it was produced by Brown with Paul Brown, Wirlie Morris and Herman Jackson, and its first single was "Chillax." He continues to record and perform.

Norman Brown's records sit in smooth jazz and contemporary R&B. He is a guitarist and singer whose singles chart on Billboard's Smooth Jazz Airplay and Adult R&B Airplay lists, and his albums lean on vocal features, programmed rhythm tracks and an easy, groove-first tempo. Critics have described the sound as mellow and romantic, a jazz guitar line carrying soul and R&B phrasing. His Grammy win and his Grammy nomination were both in the pop instrumental category, not a jazz one. The jazz side is real but specific: he is a trained player and former Musicians Institute instructor, a guitarist whose early reviews compared him to George Benson and Wes Montgomery, a bandleader who has recorded a Montgomery tribute piece, and a collaborator of players such as Kirk Whalum, Ronnie Laws, Gerald Albright and Norman Connors, who move between jazz and R&B themselves.

Benson and Montgomery are the named jazz influences, alongside Hendrix and the Isley Brothers from his boyhood in Kansas. His repertoire has included Janet Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire and Michael Jackson songs, and his later records mix instrumentals with guest vocalists. Reviewers have not always embraced the programmed-drum records: AllMusic gave Just Chillin' two stars out of five and preferred After the Storm. The radio record is consistent, though, with ten No. 1 singles on Smooth Jazz Airplay, counting those of BWB.