Robert B. Rivkin (born January 9, 1956), aka Bobby Z., is an American musician and record producer, best known as being the drummer for Prince's backing band The Revolution from 1978 to 1986.
In junior high school, he formed a small touring band in the Minneapolis area which included future Chicago Bears football coach Marc Trestman on rhythm guitar.
By the time the 1999 album was released, Prince was relying more and more on electronic drums and Rivkin had to adapt his style to operate these in concert as well as the studio, starting with Controversy.
When The Revolution disbanded in 1986 after the Parade Tour, Prince selected Sheila E, the daughter of veteran Bay Area drummer and percussionist Pete Escovedo, for his new band.
In 2011, he celebrated the one-year anniversary of surviving his near-fatal heart attack at First Avenue, with a rare reunion performance of The Revolution—Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Brown Mark, Dr. Fink, Dez Dickerson, plus Eric Leeds, which raised funds to benefit heart-health awareness.
Again, members of The Revolution appeared, as well as guests Maya Rudolph, Twin Cities musician and a runner-up on The Voice Nicholas David, Alexander O'Neal, André Cymone, Dez Dickerson, Dr. Fink, Wendy Melvoin and Questlove.