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Roger Troutman
Troutman in 1981
Background information
Birth name	Roger Lynch Troutman Jr.
Also known as	Roger
Born	(1951-11-29)November 29, 1951[1] Hamilton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	April 25, 1999(1999-04-25) (aged 47)[1] Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Genres	Funk
Occupations	Singer musician songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals talk box guitar
Years active	1975–1999
Labels	Warner Bros. Reprise
Formerly of	Zapp

Roger Lynch Troutman Jr.^[2] (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999),^[1][3] also known simply asRoger, was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the founder of the bandZapp who helped spearhead thefunk movement and influencedWest Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music.

Troutman frequently used thetalk box, a device that is connected to an instrument (frequently a keyboard, but most commonly a guitar) to create different vocal effects. Troutman used a custom-made talkbox—theElectro Harmonix "Golden Throat"—through aMoog Minimoog and later in his career aYamaha DX100 FM synthesizer.

As both band leader of Zapp and in his subsequent solo releases, he scored a bevy of funk and R&B hits throughout the 1980s and regularly collaborated withhip hop artists in the 1990s.

Born inHamilton, Ohio, Troutman was the fourth of nine children. A graduate ofCentral State University,^[4] his first band was called the Crusaders; however, they are not to be confused with the jazz group featuringJoe Sample andWilton Felder. Troutman's band played in Cincinnati and recorded a single, "Busted Surfboard"/"Seminole". The band members were Rick Schoeny, Roy Beck, Dave Spitzmiller, and Denny Niebold. Troutman had formed various other bands with his four brothers, including Little Roger, and the Vels, and Roger and the Human Body. In 1977, he and the Human Body issued "Freedom", their first single.

Within two years, Troutman and his brothers were discovered byGeorge Clinton, who signed the newly christenedZapp to his Uncle Jam Records label in 1979.^[1] The original line-up consisted of Troutman brothers Roger,Larry, Lester and Terry, along with Gregory Jackson and Bobby Glover. Zapp made their professional television debut on the first and only Funk Music Awards show.

A year later, as Uncle Jam Records was forced to close, Troutman signed withBootsy Collins under Rubber Band Music toWarner Bros. Records and released his self-titled debut 'Zapp', which yielded "More Bounce to the Ounce", produced by Collins, co- produced, written, composed and performed by Troutman.^[1] The song peaked at number 2 on theBillboard Soul Singles chart in late 1980. The debut album reached the top 20 of theBillboard 200.

From 1980 to 1985, Zapp released the gold-selling albumsZapp,Zapp II,Zapp III andThe New Zapp IV U, including the Top 10 R&B singles "Be Alright", "Dance Floor", "I Can Make You Dance", "Heartbreaker", "It Doesn't Really Matter" and "Computer Love". Throughout Zapp's history, around 15 musicians participated. In 1993, Zapp released their biggest-selling album:Zapp & Roger: All the Greatest Hits. It featured remixed cuts of Troutman's solo singles along with a new single "Slow and Easy", (featured vocalists Shirley Murdock and Ronnie Diamond). The album sold over two million copies. The albumZapp VI: Back by Popular Demand was released in 2002 by the remaining brothers after the deaths of Roger and Larry.

In 1981, Troutman cutThe Many Facets of Roger, his first solo album. Featuring a funk cover ofMarvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", which went to number 1 on the R&B singles chart,^[5] the album sold over a million copies. The album also featured the hit "So Ruff, So Tuff". The same year, Troutman recorded withParliament-Funkadelic on the band's final Warner Brothers' albumThe Electric Spanking of War Babies.

In 1984, Troutman issued his second solo albumThe Saga Continues..., which featured the singles "Girl Cut It Out", "It's in the Mix" (which was dedicated toSoul Train and its hostDon Cornelius), and a cover ofWilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour", which featuredgospel groupthe Mighty Clouds of Joy. In 1987, Troutman scored his most successful solo album withUnlimited!, carried by the hit "I Want to Be Your Man" which rose to number 3 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the R&B chart.^[5]

Alongside his successful career as Zapp member and solo artist, Troutman also became a producer and writer for other artists includingShirley Murdock, whose 1985 Platinum debut featured the Troutman-produced hit "As We Lay". He also produced for Zapp member Dale DeGroat on his solo efforts. In 1988, Troutman made an appearance onScritti Politti's third albumProvision, providingtalk box vocals on the songs "Boom There She Was" and "Sugar and Spice".

Three years later, Troutman released his final solo album withBridging the Gap, featuring the hit "Everybody (Get Up)". He worked withElvis Costello on the song "The Other Side of Summer". In 1989,NBA Entertainment selected Troutman among a variety of candidates to record a tribute song called "I'm So Happy" forKareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Troutman toured after the release ofAll the Greatest Hits. He was invited to appear as guest artist on several hip-hop albums, includingSnoop Dogg's 1993 debutDoggystyle. In 1995, he was featured onEazy-E's posthumous albumStr8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton on "Eternal E". The same year Troutman featured alongsideDr. Dre on2Pac's "California Love", which topped theBillboard Hot 100, sold over two million copies, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.^[6][7] Troutman then produced a top 10 R&B hit cover ofthe Persuaders' "Thin Line Between Love and Hate", performed byShirley Murdock and R&B groupH-Town, with talk box by Troutman. The movie soundtrack toA Thin Line Between Love and Hate also included a club hit "Chocolate City". In 1998, he appeared in a remix version ofSounds of Blackness' "Hold On (A Change Is Coming)", which sampled Zapp's "Doo-Wah Ditty (Blow That Thang)". Troutman recorded on the song "Master of the Game" from rapperKool Keith's albumBlack Elvis/Lost In Space, released in August 1999. The last song Troutman recorded for was "Twisted" onTech N9ne's albumAnghellic, released two years after Troutman's death.

On the morning of April 25, 1999, Troutman was found shot and critically wounded outside his northwest Dayton recording studio around 7:00 a.m. According to doctors, the 47-year-old had been shot several times in the torso. He died during surgery at the Good Samaritan Hospital and Health Center. His brother Larry was found dead in a car a few blocks away with a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The car matched the description of a vehicle leaving the scene, according to witnesses. It is believed thatLarry had fatally shot Roger,then himself.^{[8][9][10][11]}

TheGrammy Awards are awarded annually by theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Troutman has received a sole Grammy nomination.^[7]

• Roger Troutman atAllMusic
• Roger Troutman discography atDiscogs
• Roger Troutman atIMDb 

• 1951 births
• 1999 deaths
• 1999 murders in the United States
• American funk bass guitarists
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• Zapp (band) members
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• Musicians from Dayton, Ohio
• People from Hamilton, Ohio
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