Frankie Beverly Dies: Soul Singer & Leader Of Funk Band Maze Was 77
Frankie Beverly, the influential soul singer who was a founder of the hit-making funk band Maze, died Tuesday, September 10. He was 77.
His death was announced by family members on Facebook. A cause and location of death were not disclosed.
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“He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better,” the family statement read, in part. “He lived for his music, family and friends.”
Born Howard Stanley Beverly on December 6, 1946, Beverly in 1970 formed the band that then was called Raw Soul in his hometown of Philadelphia. He and the band soon moved to California where, by the mid-1970s, they came to the attention of Motown legend Marvin Gaye, who invited the group to serve as his opening act on a tour. Gaye also suggested the name change from Raw Soul to Maze.
In 1976, Maze signed with Capitol Records and released debut album Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly the following year,. The LP yielded several R&B hits, including “Happy Feelin’s”, “While I’m Alone” and “Lady of Magic.”
The debut would be the first of Maze’s nine Gold albums through 1992. In addition to the first three singles, other hits over the years would include “Joy and Pain,” “Golden Time of Day,” “Southern Girl,” “The Look in Your Eyes,” “Before I Let Go,” “We Are One,” “Back in Stride,” “Can’t Get Over You” and “The Morning After.”
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Beverly and Maze enjoyed a resurgence in recognition in 2019 when their hit 1981 hit “Before I Let Go,” written and produced by Beverly, was covered by Beyoncé as a bonus track on Homecoming: The Live Album.
“This is one of the high points of my life,” Beverly said in an interview with Billboard about Beyoncé’s cover. He added, “I feel bigger than ever! I feel like I have a huge smash out there. It’s definitely a blessing. Other people have done my songs, but the way she did this was in a class of its own.”
Information on survivors was not immediately available.
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