The Zapp and Roger story is inspiring yet tragic at the same time. Considered one of the true pioneers of electro-funk, Zapp laid the foundation for a sound that would be copied by fellow funkateers at the time, as well as the superstars of rap that would follow.

Back in 1977, with disco and funk-pop exploding onto the national airwaves, the Troutman brothers of Dayton Ohio were on the verge of putting it all together. Tony Troutman had released a single in 1976 for the Gram-O-Phon label, and his brothers Roger, Lester and Larry were eager to start a band.

Dayton was a red hot area for talent (the Ohio Players also were from Dayton), and the clubs there welcomed the opportunity to showcase the local talent. The Troutman brothers started to jam and soon discovered they had a unique sound. Lead singer Roger Troutman had a distinctly tight guitar style, but more than anything else, Roger could play the vocoder "talk box" like no one. The robotically human sounding talk box style that Roger delivered was truly mesmerizing. With an appreciation for the strong dance groove and a love for the deep thump of a solid bass, Zapp had found their sound.

The brothers added a horn section (not to mention legendary backing vocalist and bass player Bobby Glover) and they were on their way. Warner Brothers signed the group and quickly tapped funk legend Bootsy Collins to produce the Zapp debut album in 1978. The debut was a smash hit on the R&B charts and even entered the top 20 on the pop charts due to the amazing electronic funk of it's single "More Bounce To The Ounce". "More Bounce" would become of the most heavily sampled songs of all time.

Roger continued his Bootsy inspired relationship to George Clinton by lending his hand to Funkadelic's "Electric Spanking of War Babies" album. Roger also released his first solo album, "The Many Facets of Roger", which went gold. Roger would continue to release stellar solo projects throughout the years.

Zapp came back with a solid sophomore effort in 1982, entitled Zapp II. The album continued to hone the Zapp sound, with it's digitized drum tracks and sleekly polished studio sound. The Troutmans had set up their own sound studios in Dayton and were deftly learning to master the art of studio production. Zapp II's first single "Dance Floor" went to number one on the R&B charts. Zapp and Roger were bona fide superstars in the world of funk.

Zapp and Roger did their best worrk in the early-mid 80's, continuing on with seriously funky hits like "I Can Make You Dance", "Computer Love" and "So Rough, So Tuff". Roger started to lend his hand to production work for other artists, including Shirley Murdock and later Eric Benet. A greatest hits package released in 1994 went platinum, and Roger played with Dr. Dre and 2Pac on their top ten cover of his hit "California Love" in 1996.

Also in 1996 a "Greatest Hits II" package was released and following a successful world tour, it was clear that Zapp was back. Zapp and Roger began spending more time in the studio preparing for their next big run for the top of the pop charts. Tragically, on April 25, 1999, following an unknown dispute, Larry Troutman shot Roger in an alley behind the Troutman Labs recording studio in Dayton. Consumed with grief, Larry would take his own life only minutes later.

A Tribute To Roger Troutman CD was released in 2000 and did very well, once again proving the relevance of the "Zapp sound" to today's music market. The Zapp and Roger sound continues to influence all facets of dance music, from electro (Moby, etc.) to pop (Madonna's latest hit "Music" icomes to mind) as well as rap (EPMD, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg), and industry that continues to sample liberally from the entire Zapp and Roger catalogue.


Zapp Discography  
1980 Zapp (Warner Brothers)
1982 Zapp II (Warner Brothers)
1983 Zapp III (Warner Brothers)
1984 The New Zapp IV U (Warner Brother)
1989 Zapp V (Reprise)
1994 All the Greatest Hits
1996 Compilation: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 & More
2002 We Can Make You Dance: The Zapp & Roger Anthology
2002 Zapp VI
2005 Zapp & Roger - More Bounce To The Ounce And Other Hits

Roger Discography
1976 Roger & The Human Body (Troutman Records)
1981 The Many Facets of Roger (Warner Brothers)
1984 The Saga Continues (Warner Brothers)
1987 Unlimited! (Reprise)
1991 Bridging the Gap (Reprise)

Tribute Albums
2000 Various Artists - Tribute To Roger Troutman
2002 Various Artists - Still More Bounce

MY TRIBUTE PAGE

Roger's Obituary

Visit Greenwood Cemetery in Hamiton Butler County Ohio, USA Roger's Final Resting Place

Billboard Chartcourtesy of Billboard.com

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