Zapp

Real Name:Roger, Lester, Larry & Tony Troutman
Profile:One of the most underrated funk groups of the 1980s, Zapp revolutionized the computer pop of electro with their trademark vocoder talk boxes and bumping grooves, with a leader in Roger Troutman who was more than efficient at polished production. The family group, with brothers Roger, Lester, Larry and Tony Troutman, grew up in Hamilton, OH, influenced by hometown heroes the Ohio Players as well as Parliament and other funk groups. Tony was the first to begin recording, with an obscure single for Gram-O-Phon Records, "I Truly Love You," which scraped the R&B charts in 1976. Joined by his brothers (Roger on vocals and guitar, Lester on drums, Larry on percussion, and himself contributing bass) and christened Zapp, the group played around the Midwest and gradually picked up backing vocalists (Bobby Glover, Janetta Boyce), keyboard players (Greg Jackson, Sherman Fleetwood) and a horn section.
Zapp's following quickly gained notices, and Bootsy Collins himself was hired on to work with the group on their debut album. Released in 1980, "Zapp" hit the Top 20 on the pop charts, thanks to the single "More Bounce to the Ounce." The following year, Roger released his solo debut album, "The Many facets of Roger". His special cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," complete with vocoderized talk box, pushed the album into gold territory (as "Zapp" had done). "Zapp II" appeared in 1982 and proved just as popular as the group's first, including Zapp's only number one R&B single, "Dance Floor."
"Zapp III" barely made the Top 40 pop charts upon release in 1983, and Roger’s second solo album, "The Saga Continues", was also a (commercial) disappointment.
What can be considered as their best record, "The New Zapp IV U" fared slightly better after release in late 1985 (thanks to the single "Computer Love"), and in 1987, Roger’s third solo album, "Unlimited!", featured the group's biggest hit yet, "I Want to Be Your Man," a chart-topper on the R&B lists and a respectable number three pop. Though Roger and/or Zapp hit the R&B charts frequently during the rest of the late '80s, the unit had effectively halted recording with the 1991 Roger LP "Bridging the Gap". Roger continued to produce and play with other artists, and it was his talk box that graced Dr. Dre & 2Pac's Top Ten 1996 single "California Love." The 1993 Roger & Zapp collection All the Greatest Hits sold well, earning the collective their first platinum record. The Zapp story ended in tragedy on April 25, 1999, when Roger was shot to death by Larry, who then turned the gun on himself.
URLs:http://www.soul-patrol.com/funk/zapp.htm
http://www.sam.hi-ho.ne.jp/kousweb/index.htm
Aliases:Human Body (2), Roger & The Human Body, Zapp & Roger, Zippy (4)
Members:Billy Beck, Carl Cowen, Dick Smith, Larry Troutman, Lester Troutman, Roger Troutman, Zapp Troutman
  235 for sale in the Discogs Marketplace

Log In to sort and filter releases.

Releases:
More Bounce To The Ounce ◄ (7 versions)   Warner Bros. Records ... 1980
Zapp (Album) ◄ (5 versions)   Warner Bros. Records 1980
Come On / Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing) (7")   Warner Bros. Records 1982
Dance Floor / More Bounce To The Ounce ◄ (6 versions)   Warner Bros. Records ... 1982
Zapp II (Album) ◄ (4 versions)   Warner Bros. Records ... 1982
Heartbreaker ◄ (2 versions)   Warner Bros. Records 1983
I Can Make You Dance (Maxi) ◄ (2 versions)   Warner Bros. Records 1983
Zapp III (Album) ◄ (5 versions)   Warner Bros. Records 1983
Computer Love ◄ (4 versions)   Warner Bros. Records ... 1985
It Doesn't Really Matter ◄ (5 versions)   Warner Bros. Records ... 1985
Radio People ◄ (4 versions)   Warner Bros. Records ... 1985
The New Zapp IV U (Album) ◄ (6 versions)   Warner Bros. Records ... 1985
Fire (12")   Reprise Records 1989
I Play The Talk Box (12")   Reprise Records 1989
Ooh Baby Baby (12", Maxi)   Reprise Records 1989
Ooh Baby Baby (12", Maxi)   Reprise Records 1989
V (Album) ◄ (4 versions)   Reprise Records ... 1989
Zapp VI Back By Popular Demand (CD, Album)   Not On Label 2003
More Bounce To The Ounce / Computer Love (12")   Warner Strategic Marketing, Warner Strategic Marketing 2004
Tracks Appear On:
Disco '83 (LP, P/Mixed) Dance Floor Som Livre, Sigla 1982
Musica De Baile (12") Dance Floor WEA 1983
April 85 - The Mixes (12") Dance Floor DMC 1985
Dance I-D (LP) Doo Wa Ditty (Blow Tha... WEA International Inc. 1986
Street Sounds Edition 17 (Comp) ◄ (2 versions) Computer Love (Extende... Street Sounds 1986
Wicked Mix 11 (12", Comp, Promo) More Bounce To The Oun... Wicked Mix 1991
Funky Breaks & Beats (12") Dancefloor City Wide Records 1992
Funky Breaks & Beats (12") Doo Wa Ditty (Blow Tha... City Wide Records 1992
Mixx-it CD17 - Radio Classics III (CD, Comp, Promo) I Can Make You Dance Mixx-it 1992
In Yo' Face! The History Of Funk, Vol. 5 (CD) More Bounce To The Oun... Rhino Entertainment Company 1993
The Best Of Techno Trax - Techno House Revolution III (CD, Comp) Roy Black Lebt Avex Trax 1993
Wicked Mix - Classic Collection 5 (12", Promo, Cle) Doo Wa Ditty ("Remix B... Wicked Mix 1993
Old School Dance - Lesson One (CD, Comp) More Bounce To The Ounce Warner Music (Canada) 1995
Old School Friday: More Music From The Original Motion Picture (CD, Sou) Heartbreaker (Part I, ... Priority Records 1995
Smooth Grooves: A Sensual Collection Volume 9 (CD, Comp) Computer Love (Extende... Rhino Entertainment Company, Sony Music Special Products 1996
Street Jams : Back 2 The Old Skool Part One (CD, Comp) More Bounce To The Oun... Rhino Entertainment Company 1996
Street Jams : Back 2 The Old Skool Part Three (CD) Doo Wa Ditty (Blow Tha... Rhino Entertainment Company 1996
Street Jams : Back 2 The Old Skool Part Two (CD) Computer Love Rhino Entertainment Company 1996
Sugar And Poison (2xCD) Computer Love Virgin 1996
Classics From The 80's Vol. 2 (CD, Comp, Mixed) More Bounce To The Ounce Rhythm Records 1997
Hot Dance Classics Volume 1 (CD) More Bounce To The Ounce JCI Records, Warner Special Products 1997
II (CD, Mixed) Ja Ready To Rock Warner Music (Norway) 1997
The Ultimate R&B Collection (2xCD, Mixed, Comp) Do Wah Ditty (Blow Tha... Warner Music (Australia) 1997
Classics From The 80's Vol. 3 (CD, Mixed, Comp) It Doesn't Really Matter Rhythm Records 1998
Dance Classics - Back To The 80's (2xCD) It Doesn't Really Matter Arcade 1998
FSUK4 (2xCD, Mixed, Comp) More Bounce To The Ounce Ministry Of Sound 1999
The Tom Joyner Morning Show Presents: Old School Mix (CD) More Bounce To The Oun... Rhino Entertainment Company 1999
The Funk Box (Box + 4xCD, Comp) More Bounce To The Ounce Hip-O Records 2000
Funkology - One Nation Under A Groove! (2xCD) More Bounce To The Ounce Warner Strategic Marketing (UK) 2001
Ferry Maat's Soulshow (2xCD) More Bounce To The Ounce Universal TV 2002
Pure Groove - The Very Best 80's Soul Funk Grooves (2xCD) Computer Love Telstar TV 2002
The Anthology - We Can Make You Dance ◄ (2 versions) More Bounce To The Oun... Rhino Entertainment Company 2002
80's Club Classics Repress (2xCD, Comp) More Bounce To The Ounce Warner Strategic Marketing (UK) 2003
In Unconditional Love (CD, Promo) Do You Really Want An ... Illmindmuzik 2003
In Unconditional Love (Cass, Promo) Do You Really Want An ... Carpetbombing Records 2003
Old School Nation! (2xCD) More Bounce To The Oun... Hi-Bias Records Inc. 2004
Culture Club Vol. 3 (Comp) ◄ (2 versions) Computer Love 541 2005
Funky Sensation (CD, Comp, Mixed, Album) More Bounce To The Ounce Wagram Music 2005
The Ritual (CD, Mixed) More Bounce To The Ounce Breakin' Bread (UK) 2005
A To Z (2xCD) Mo' Bounce To The Ounce Sunday Best Recordings 2006
Gold Digging - As Sampled By 2Pac (CD, Promo) Computer Love Harmless 2006
Gold Digging - As Sampled By 2Pac (2xCD, Comp) Computer Love Harmless 2006
Sony/ATV - Lastrada Sampler (4xCD, Smplr, Promo) More Bounce To The Oun... Lastrada Entertainment Co., Sony / ATV Music Publishing, R2M Music 2007
R2M-Lastrada Sampler - Hits From A-Z 60s 70s 80s 90s (4xCD, Comp, Promo) Dance Floor (Part 1), ... Lastrada Entertainment Co., R2M Music 2008
Slow Jamz & Hot Songs. (2xCD, Comp) Computer Love Warner Music France 2008
Exclusive R'N'B RMX Volume 10 (12", Comp, Ltd) What's Your Flava Not On Label  
Unofficial Releases:
More Bounce To The Ounce / Cutie Pie (12") More Bounce To The Oun... Giant 1980
The Jigga Collection 2 (2xLP, Comp) Computer Love Strictly Breaks Records 2002
Untitled (12") Dance Floor Not On Label 2002
The 2Pac Collection (2xLP) Be Alright, Computer L... Strictly Breaks Records 2005
Do U / More Bounce To The Ounce (12") More Bounce To The Ounce Rara  
   Write a Review