UB Celebrates Roger Troutman on Birthday | Commentary from Shirley Murdock

UrbanBridgez.com November 29, 2022

4 minutes read

Today we celebrate the musical genius Roger Troutman on his birthday.

Roger Troutman’s larger than life existence had very humble beginnings. Born November 29th, 1951, to truck driver father Rufus Troutman Sr. and house wife Addie Ruth Shepherd, Roger was the fourth born of ten children. Born and raised in Hamilton, OH, his natural musical talent and magnetic personality were apparent as early as his toddler years, and he was only five when he received his first guitar.

The spotlight coupled with his electrifying stage presence became the backdrop to his off-stage real-life dream of touching people through his musical gift.

Growing up in Hamilton, Ohio, his first groups were copy bands that played rock hits by the Rolling Stones, Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin and Yes. “If you didn’t play rock, you didn’t get the date,” Roger once stated. “So we put the ‘soul thing’ behind us for a bit and grew from a novelty into a rarity.”

By the late 1960s had formed and led a band including his brothers called Roger & The Human Body, which later went on to be known as ZAPP & Roger. Roger was the creative force behind this group, assembling and leading the group as its front-man as well as composing and producing the music and leading the group on several tours throughout the United States and Canada.

Since ZAPP’s beginnings, its heartbeat has always been the vibrant imagination of the three Troutman Brothers – older brother Larry and two younger brothers Roger and Lester. The earlier quartet included the duo of Roger and Lester, Ralph Shepard and Chris Croom, whose premiere recording experience was with Capitol Records in 1975- 1976, when they worked on Sun’s debut album as well as the debut of Roger and the Human Body. Hired as studio musicians, Roger and Lester were fundamental to both projects and had already been experimenting with the talk-box just as it was first gaining fame thanks to mega stars like Stevie Wonder, Peter Frampton and Earth, Wind & Fire.

In 1978, Roger, Larry, Lester and Terry went into the studio with renowned bassist, singer and songwriter Bootsy Collins to record an album and were discovered by P-Funk‘s legendary leader George Clinton, who encouraged them to name themselves “ZAPP” in honor of Terry’s snappy nickname. In 1980, the four original ZAPP members released their self-titled debut, co-produced by Collins, on Warner Bros Records.

“It’s my lifeblood, that’s not to be taken casually, either. I don’t need a promoter or a hit record to get my message across. Just give me a crowd who likes good music.”

Released that summer, ZAPP became a platinum success, peaking at the Top 20 of the Billboard Top 200 thanks to the hip-shaking hit single, “More Bounce to the Ounce,” written by Roger. This triumph led to a major tour with the Commodores.

Roger’s soulful futuristic use of synthesized electronic instruments, most notably the talk-box, created an undeniable, body-moving sound with his heavy hitting bass lines, rich guitar licks and head-bobbing beats.

ZAPP and Roger released three Gold albums and hit singles, such as “Be Alright” and “Doo Wa Ditty.” 1982’s “Dance Floor, Part 1″ hit #1 on the R&B chart, with a cover of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” also a hit for the group.

In 1983, ZAPP’s star was still bright, and Roger was introduced to the R&B legend Shirley Murdock, who auditioned for him and was instantly welcomed into the group in 1984.

Shirley was the lead vocalist on the classic hit song “Computer Love.” “I wrote the verses when we were in a rehearsal hall, I was going back and forth about what the lyrics should be.” Shirley shared with UB, “That opened the door for more writing. To know that we wrote a song so long ago that is still relevant till this day. Not knowing that people would be meeting people and finding love on websites and the way they are now with social media. He was really ahead of his time, so that’s mind blowing.”

Shirley toured with the band throughout 1985, the same year, Roger Lester and the rest of their production crew commandeered Shirley’s debut album, which made her an instant platinum sensation.

“Shirley was singing in a church in Toledo. My cousins were working in my office in Dayton, and they asked me to listen to her tape, which I did. I went to hear her in church, and I couldn’t believe my ears. She was a songbird!” Roger shared with an industry trade, “Every time she sang, everybody could feel it. I knew then she would become a star. My gut feeling and my instant instincts told me she was going to be a smash!”

By 1985, the group had amassed more than four gold records and was drawing huge audiences worldwide. The 1996 release “All The Greatest Hits” went platinum.

As a solo artist, Roger also found great success, releasing “The Many Facets of Roger,” “The Saga Continues,” “Bridging The Gap,” and the classic album “Unlimited!,” which included the Billboard chart-topping single “I Want to Be Your Man.”

Although the ZAPP Band often receives the lion’s share of the credit, Roger was signed as an individual, making him the primary artist, writer and producer of the entire musical catalog credited to the many monikers he created, including Zapp, Zapp and Roger, Zapp feat. Roger, Roger, and Roger Troutman.

Over the course of the past 40 years, ZAPP and Roger‘s music has been sampled hundreds of times by artists around the globe, which has kept the band’s buzz going strong. ZAPP‘s music has had a profound effect in hip-hop, featured in songs by Jay Z, Lil’ Kim, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Ice Cube and many others.

In 1995, Roger collaborated with 2Pac and Dr. Dre on the smash hit “California Love.” It became 2Pac‘s most successful single, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and nominated for a posthumous Grammy Award as Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Roger and Dr. Dre) in 1997.

The list of artists that have sampled Roger Troutman‘s music include: Big Daddy Kane, BLACKstreet, George Clinton, Cypress Hill, Da Brat, Eazy-E, Notorious B.I.G., Junior M.A.F.I.A., Heavy D, EPMD, Jodeci, Lil’ Kim, Method Man, Snoop Dogg, Janet Jackson, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur and Xscape.

Roger ultimately succumbed to difficult family circumstances at the hands of his own brother Larry on April 25, 1999.