Roger Troutman
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Roger Troutman | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | Roger |
Born | [1] Hamilton, Ohio, U.S. | November 29, 1951
Died | April 25, 1999[1] Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | (aged 47)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) | |
Years active | 1975–1999 |
Labels |
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Roger Troutman (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999)[1][2] was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and the founder of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the funk movement and influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music.
Troutman frequently used the
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 with hip hop artists in the 1990s.
Biography
Early career
Born in Hamilton, Ohio, Troutman was the fourth of nine children. A graduate of Central State University,[3] his first band was called the Crusaders; however, they are not to be confused with the jazz group featuring Joe Sample and Wilton 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 by
A year later, as Uncle Jam Records was forced to close, Troutman signed with
From 1980 to 1985, Zapp released the gold-selling albums
Solo career and production work on other artists
In 1981, Troutman cut The Many Facets of Roger, his first solo album. Featuring a funk cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", which went to number 1 on the R&B singles chart,[4] the album sold over a million copies. The album also featured the hit "So Ruff, So Tuff". The same year, Troutman recorded with Parliament-Funkadelic on the band's final Warner Brothers' album The Electric Spanking of War Babies.
In 1984, Troutman issued his second solo album The Saga Continues..., which featured the singles "Girl Cut It Out", "It's in the Mix" (which was dedicated to
Alongside his successful career as Zapp member and solo artist, Troutman also became a producer and writer for other artists including Shirley 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 on Scritti Politti's third album Provision, providing talk box vocals on the songs "Boom There She Was" and "Sugar and Spice".
Three years later, Troutman released his final solo album with Bridging the Gap, featuring the hit "Everybody (Get Up)". He worked with Elvis 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" for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Career re-emergence
Troutman toured after the release of All the Greatest Hits. He was invited to appear as guest artist on several hip-hop albums, including
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. Troutman died during surgery at the Good Samaritan Hospital and Health Center. Troutman's 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 that Larry had fatally shot Roger, then himself. [7]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Release | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | ||
The Many Facets of Roger |
|
26 | 1 |
The Saga Continues... |
|
64 | 13 |
Unlimited! |
|
35 | 4 |
Bridging the Gap |
|
— | 45 |
Singles
Title | Release | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [4] |
US R&B [4] |
US Dance
[4] |
US AC [4] |
UK
[2] | |||
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | 1981 | 79 | 1 | 25 | — | — | The Many Facets of Roger |
"Do It Roger" | 1982 | — | 24 | — | — | — | |
"In the Mix" | 1984 | — | 10 | — | — | — | The Saga Continues... |
"In the Midnight Hour" | — | 34 | — | — | — | ||
"Girl, Cut It Out" | 1985 | — | 79 | — | — | — | |
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" | 1987 | — | 54 | — | — | — | Unlimited! |
"I Want to Be Your Man" | 3 | 1 | — | 22 | 61 | ||
"If You're Serious" | — | 32 | — | — | — | ||
"Thrill Seekers" | 1988 | — | 27 | — | — | — | |
"(Everybody) Get Up" | 1991 | — | 19 | — | — | — | Bridging the Gap |
"You Should Be Mine" | — | 54 | — | — | — | ||
"Take Me Back" | 1992 | — | 37 | — | — | — |
As featured artist
Title | Release | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | ||||||||
"Boom! There She Was" (Scritti Politti featuring Roger Troutman) |
1988 | 53 | 94 | Provision | |||||
"Put Your Lovin' Through the Test" (Keith Sweat featuring Roger Troutman) |
1994 | — | — | Get Up on It | |||||
" 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman)
|
1995 | 1 | 1 | All Eyez on Me | |||||
"It's Your Body" (Johnny Gill featuring Roger Troutman) |
1996 | 43 | 19 | Let's Get the Mood Right | |||||
"Sweet Sexy Thing" (Nu Flavor featuring Roger Troutman) |
1997 | 62 | 93 | Nu Flavor | |||||
"Down for Yours" ( Nastyboy Klick featuring Roger Troutman)
|
69 | 58 | The First Chapter | ||||||
"Raza Park" ( Latino Velvet featuring Don Cisco, Frost and Roger Troutman)
|
1998 | — | — | Latino Velvet Project | |||||
"All Night" (N2Deep featuring Roger Troutman) |
— | — | The Rumble | ||||||
"Master of the Game" (Kool Keith featuring Roger Troutman) |
1999 | — | — | Black Elvis/Lost in Space | |||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Soundtrack appearances
Title | Release | Other performer(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Express Yourself" | 1993 | Fu-Schnickens | Addams Family Values |
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | 1995 | Friday | |
"Chocolate City" | 1996 | Shirley Murdock | A Thin Line Between Love and Hate |
"A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" | H-Town, Shirley Murdock |
Guest appearances
Title | Release | Other performer(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
(several songs) | 1988 | Shirley Murdock | A Woman's Point of View |
(several songs) | 1989 | Lynch | A Pinch of Lynch |
"The Jones'" | 1994 | Ahmad | Ahmad |
"We Want the Funk" | |||
"Scandalous" | 1995 | The Click | Game Related |
"Eternal E" | 1996 | Eazy-E | Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton |
"Untouchable" | 1997 | Scarface | The Untouchable |
"Playaz Need No Love" | 1998 | H-Bomb | Narcissism |
"4 My Homiez" | Vontel | Vision of a Dream | |
"Keep It on the Real" | |||
"Don't Nobody" | |||
"Say Playa" | |||
"Throw It Up" | 1999 | Tray Dee
|
Introduction to Mackin' |
"Diamonds and Pearls" | Frost, Cameosis | That Was Then, This Is Now Vol. 1 | |
"Twisted" | 2001 | Tech N9ne | Anghellic |
"Short Times" | 2003 | Da 5 Footaz | The Lost Scrolls |
References
- ^ a b c d e Prato, Greg. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9780753522455.
- ^ Ali, Derek (May 28, 1990). "Zapp show taunts, teases, tantalizes". Dayton Daily News. p. 16. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Roger Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "2Pac Billboard Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
- ^ "Grammy Archive". Retrieved April 12, 2004.
- ^ Lou, Grieco; Moss, Khalid (February 22, 2022) [April 26, 1999]. "Troutman Brothers Shot Dead". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "British certifications – California Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
External links
- Roger Troutman discography at Discogs
- Roger Troutman at IMDb
- Roger Troutman at AllMusic