In 2012, a statue was erected to honor Roger Troutman. The metalwork was created by Dayton artist Michael Bashaw. Bashaw’s sound sculpture incorporates clock chimes and is named for and tuned to Troutman’s hit “I Can Make You Dance” with Zapp & Roger. In the Triangle Park neighborhood, the statue includes 27 triangles. “Because I am a musician as well as a sculptor I felt honored when they asked me to create something that paid tribute to Roger Troutman,” Bashaw said. “He was a great musician and producer.”The project to secure the site with a historical marker began as an assignment for two Bowling Green State University graduate students, Kari Boroff and Jacqueline Hudson. Both, now BG alumni, spoke Friday morning during the ceremony.
“What started out as a school project blossomed into something that I could have never imagined,” Boroff said. … “As a Dayton native, I already knew about the rich history of funk music that originated in the city, especially Zapp. However, I have to admit, at the beginning of this project, I did not know much about the Troutman Sound Lab. … After discovering the wonderful contributions that were made through the recording studio, not only to the community but to the history of music, I realized that this site needed to be recognized and celebrated.”
Photo Credit: Lisa Powell
In 2023, the Dayton View Triangle Federation, Inc. received a $10,000 Special Projects Grant from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District to repaint and expand the ZAPP Mural to include a new image of Roger at his keyboard with a talk tube in his mouth.
The original ZAPP III album cover mural was painted during the summer of 2016 by the artist John Martin, who has done other murals across Dayton. They were able to get in touch with him and refresh the mural after a large portion of it flaked off the wall. This funding also allowed him to expand the mural and create the image of Roger at his keyboard.
