Zapp unleashes funky, high-energy music with a contagious   groove built for dancing, loving and good times. Made up of masterful musicians who have been getting down together since  the late 1970s, the group’s sizzling chemistry can be attributed to the fact that it has always been a joyful family affair. The band started with Lil Roger and Lil Lester in 1962, which became Lil Roger and the Vels, grew into Roger and the Human Body from 1974-1978, then became a full-fledged movement as Zapp. Now bandleader Lester Troutman, Sr. (drums), Terry “Zapp” Troutman (talkbox/keyboards/bass), Bart Thomas (talkbox/vocals/keyboards/bass), Dale DeGroat (musical direction/keyboards/vocals),  Thomas  Troutman (keyboards/vocals), Riccardo Bray (guitar) and Anthony Arrington (sax) join to carry on the legacy of a tight-knit group of expert players and funk, soul and party band pioneers. Vibrating with  moog bass, electrifying guitar riffs and fresh, clever lyrics, the tight-knit group’s songs demonstrate a wicked  sense  of  humor and an unmatched ability to tell colorful stories and write solid, memorable hooks. Zapp members’ layered recordings and boisterous, Las Vegas-style live shows have always established them as trailblazers in both songwriting and showmanship. In the tradition of stylish masters such as James Brown, George Clinton, Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone, Zapp continues to both inspire and draw inspiration from hot acts like Daft Punk, The Black Eyed   Peas and Justin Timberlake.

Since Zapp’s beginnings, its heartbeat has always been thevibrant imagination of the three Troutman Brothers – older brother Larry and two younger brothers Roger and Lester – who jammed together before becoming a quartet called Roger and the Human Body. This early 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 talkbox 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. 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

Zapp’s dazzling rise persisted, piloted by Roger, who was the band’s producer, chief writer, arranger  and  composer  and invented brand-new ways to use the talkbox that distinguished recordings. Within five years, the band  scored a number of top-  ten R&B hits: “Doo Wa Ditty,” I Can Make You Dance,” Heartbreaker,” ballads “Computer Love” and a cover of The Miracles’ “Ooo Baby Baby.” 1982’s “Dance Floor, Part 1” hit #1 on the R&B chart, with Roger’s solo numbers, “I Want to Be Your  Man” and a cover of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” also  scoring big. By 1985, the group had amassed more than four goldrecords and was drawing huge audiences worldwide.

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. She 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.