The funeral included representatives of the music industry included members of such nationally known acts as the Gap Band Cincinnati-native Bootsie Collins and prominent figures of Dayton's funk elite, including members of such bands as The Ohio Players, Lakeside and the Troutmans' own group, Zapp. At the taped-off crime scene near Harvard and Benson Drive, a steady stream of onlookers gathered as officers took photos and prepared to have the late-model Lincoln towed away. Midway through services at Omega Baptist Church, 1821 Emerson St., the Rev. Word of the shootings spread quickly Sunday through the neighborhoods along Salem Avenue. Those properties are listed in phone directories under the name Roger Tee Enterprises Inc. "He'll be upset," Williams said.Ī former singer with the band, Larry Troutman had served as president of Troutman Enterprises Inc., whose interests included contracting, real-estate management and the three recording studios and a rehearsal space in the buildings near where Roger was shot. Bonner taught Roger Troutman how to play guitar, he said. Williams said he was trying to contact Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner, guitarist for the Ohio Players. He wept as he remembered the Troutmans, who he said he had known for more than two decades. One onlooker at the scene on Harvard was Williams. Detectives planned to interview family members on whether there were problems in the family or the business. Witnesses weren't able to say anything about the dispute. "We don't know what this is about," White said. He appeared to have shot himself in the head. Officers found Larry Troutman in the driver's seat of a black Lincoln. Minutes later, dispatchers got a call about a car hitting a tree on the 2100 block of Harvard Boulevard, White said. Witnesses told police the gunman had left in a black car. Officers found Roger Troutman, who appeared to have been shot several times, Sgt. to the alley between Catalpa Drive and Ravenwood Avenue behind Roger Tee Enterprises Inc., 2016 Salem Ave. "I can't even imagine life without doing this.On Sunday, Dayton police were called at about 7:20 a.m. "I would be lying to you and the fans if I said 'well, we never had problems' or 'we never tried to do other things.' But the bond is what kept us together," he said. "I thought we would never, ever play again," Lester Troutman said in 2018 in an episode of the "What Had Happened Was" podcast with Dayton Daily News columnist Amelia Robinson. Last fall, Zapp celebrated the release of a tribute album, "Zapp VII: Roger & Friends," at the Schuster Center in Dayton. In 2002, Lester and Terry Troutman released "Zapp VI: Back By Popular Demand" and the band continues to perform across the country. The sound sculpture, created by Dayton artist and musician Michael Bashaw, incorporates clock chimes and is named for and tuned to Troutman's hit "I Can Make You Dance" with Zapp & Roger. A sculpture honoring him was dedicated in 2012 on the former site of the Troutman Recording Studio near Salem Avenue and Catalpa Drive. Roger Troutman and Zapp's musical legacy lives on. Warner Brothers records, Roger's longtime recording label, sent a pair of red, guitar-shaped floral displays and Rufus Troutman III, a nephew of the brothers who had performed with Zapp, played a variation of "Amazing Grace," using Roger's trademark "talk box." Relatives, fans and colleagues including the Gap Band, Bootsie Collins, Shirley Murdock and members of funk bands The Ohio Players and Lakeside, paid tribute to the music innovators. The funeral for Roger and Larry Troutman drew an estimated 3,000 people to the Solid Rock Church in Monroe. Dre on Tupac Shakur's Grammy-nominated song "California Love." 1 hit in 1987 with "I Want to be Your Man." In 1996, he collaborated with Dr. Troutman later went onto a solo career performing under the name "Roger," and had a No. He was the multi-instrumentalist singer and arranger for Zapp and was known for his versatility using a vocoder "talk box" to create computerized vocals. Troutman's musical ability was never constrained. If you had just picked up one instrument, it would have limited you." Troutman recalled his father later told him, "I did that so you would understand that instruments are merely a vehicle to express what's inside you. Rufus Troutman made the same request whenever his son asked for another instrument. He did, learning his father's favorite songs. He asked his father for a guitar but was told he had to learn to play one first. In a 1988 interview with the Dayton Daily News, Roger Troutman recalled his start in the music business and the lesson his father, Rufus, taught him.Īs a 13-year-old, Troutman was a budding musician setting up gigs at sock hops and community functions.
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