Before Auto-tunes, There Was Zapp & Roger

It occurred to me one night while watching TV One’s Unsung on The Troutman Family what a major loss the music industry suffered in April of 1999 when both Roger and Larry Troutman left this earth in an apparent murder-suicide. Although the music family that was Roger & Zapp reached their peak in the early 80’s, the classics they created continue to keep parties going and have inspired an entire new generation of musicians to keep their creations soulful and funky.

Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, the Troutman family is an example of a true American success story. With Roger’s talent and Larry’s vision, the Troutman family succeeded in different business ventured, but music was the glue that held the family together. Roger’s signature sound, the manipulation of his voice and other instruments with a talk box, had a major impact on the music group’s success. The talk box was not a new device to the music world, having been used by artists like Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd, and Peter Frampton, but Roger’s mastery of the device solidified Zapp & Roger’s place in Soul/Funk music history. In current music, the talk box has been replaced with a saturation of Auto-tunes, a device created to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental recordings, though most recently I was happy to hear the talk box properly resurrected in Foreign Exchange’s new album, Authenticity.

Aside from the creation of music that made your body move involuntarily (because anybody sitting down to a Zapp & Roger track is lame) the band knew the definition of showmanship. From live music to audience interaction, Roger and family knew how to get a party going onstage which always kept fans coming back for more.

As today, November 29th is the birthday of Roger Troutman, I’d like to take a moment to honor his memory with a few of my Zapp & Roger favorites. Let these tracks add more bounce to the ounce in your day:

Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela!

From CNN:

President Barack Obama called Sunday for Americans to perform community service in honor of Nelson Mandela’s 92nd birthday.

“On behalf of the United States, I wish Nelson Mandela a very happy 92nd birthday,” Obama said in White House statement, referring to the former South African president who spent 27 years in prison before leading his country from white-minority rule to all-race democratic elections.

“We are grateful to continue to be blessed with his extraordinary vision, leadership, and spirit. And we strive to build upon his example of tolerance, compassion and reconciliation.,” Obama said of Mandela, who is known around the world by his clan name, “Madiba.”

Obama noted that Sunday was the first annual Nelson Mandela International Day, as proclaimed by the United Nations.

“I encourage us all to heed the call to engage in some form of service to others, in honor of the 67 years of sacrifice and service Madiba gave to us,” Obama’s statement said. “We strive to follow his example of what it means to truly give back to our communities, our nations, and our world.”

It Takes A Village…

This weekend my other half, Chris, and I had the arduous task of pulling off a birthday party for our 2-year old son, Eli. It would be our first official “kiddie” party, and in spite of whether or not Eli knew what was going on, we were determined that it be an event he and the other guests enjoyed. After reading a “how-to” article on throwing parties for kids, we decided to set an end time and make the party a short and sweet, 2-hour event.

We tried to keep party preparations within a budget, but as events tend to do, we overspent a little. An hour before the party we had transformed our backyard into a kiddie carnival: a slide, basketball hoop, a trike, and balls and hula-hoops were everywhere. But by the time the party was suppose to start, we had no guests.

I watched as Eli ran around the yard, oblivious to the fact that anybody was suppose to enjoy all the toys other than him. When 45 minutes had passed, he let it be known it was time to eat and Chris and I agreed. Of course, once we sat down to break bread, guests began to arrive.

Needless to say we went way past our two-hour plan, and didn’t notice or care. Once all of our loved ones had arrived safely, we were happy to spend time catching up and watching our children/godchildren interact. I sat back in awe of the folks in our backyard, most of which we had grown up and went to school with. It’s always amazing to think that we’ve sustained friendships long enough to now have families of our own.

In classic Black tradition, the kiddie party simmered on down into an adult party once the children wore themselves out. We spent a few hours having some amazing grown folk conversation, challenging each other on various Wii games, and just spending time together. Though Chris and I should have been worn out too, spending quality time with great friends renewed us, and gave us our second wind.

A good village does more than just raise children; it supports, uplifts, and upholds families. We are so grateful for the one we’ve been blessed with.