Frankie Beverly

Frankie Beverly
File:Frankie Beverly (cropped).jpg Beverly in 2002
Background information
Birth name	Howard Beverly
Born	(1946-12-06)December 6, 1946 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died
Genres	R&B soul funk Philadelphia Soul
Occupation(s)	Singer musician songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano
Years active	1963–2024

Frankie Beverly (born Howard Beverly; December 6, 1946 – September 10, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and producer known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band Maze. He formed Maze, originally called Raw Soul, in his hometown of Philadelphia in 1970. After moving to San Francisco and an introduction to Marvin Gaye, Maze later released nine Gold albums and create a large and devoted following. Beverly was the band's writer, producer, and lead singer. He was known for his distinctive smooth baritone voice and charismatic stage presence.

Early life and career

Beverly was born in Philadelphia and began singing gospel music as a schoolboy in a local church. He grew up in the East Germantown section of the city and was a graduate of the now defunct Germantown High School.

As a teenager he formed The Blenders, a short-lived a cappella doo-wop group that were influenced by The Dells, The Moonglows, and The Del Vikings. After the group dissolved, he started The Butlers in 1963 (which became Frankie Beverly and the Butlers). It was the first group with which he recorded. In 1967, he cut "If That's What You Wanted", which became a Northern soul standard. The group.. caught the attention of record producer Kenny Gamble, who eventually released their recordings.

Music performed by The Butlers did not fit into the "Philly Sound" and, after some heavy touring, the group went to San Francisco. The unit was re-christened as Raw Soul and caught the attention of Marvin Gaye's sister-in-law. Gaye featured them as an opening act at his shows and convinced Beverly to change the band's name to Maze. The group's popularity was enhanced considerably in the UK by DJs Greg Edwards and Robbie Vincent in the late 1970s and early 1980s when they performed live at London's Lyceum Ballroom for broadcast on Capital Radio. They are best known there for their UK No. 57 hit single "Joy and Pain".

In 2019, Beverly's hit single with Maze "Before I Let Go" was covered by American singer Beyoncé as a bonus track on her fifth live album Homecoming: The Live Album. Beverly told Billboard that the cover was "one of the high points of (his) life... in a class of its own" and made him "feel bigger than ever! I feel like I have a huge smash out there."

Style

Beverly's onstage attire (all-white custom designed and -made, casual clothing including slacks, long-sleeved shirt, and a baseball cap) has become his signature dress style over the years. It has become tradition for the audience to wear all white to the concerts in honor of the group.

His son, Anthony, who has toured as a drummer with Maze, along with his former wife, entertainment attorney Heather Beverly, organized a tribute album to Anthony's father called 'Silky Soul Music: An All-Star Tribute to Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly' in 2009, together founding the record label Brantera, as an homage to the work of Maze. Mary J. Blige, Kenneth Brian Edmonds (Babyface), and Mint Condition were among the artists taking part on the album.

Death

Beverly died on September 10, 2024, at the age of 77.

See also

• Maze (band)

External links

• MazeMuze biography Archived September 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
• Frankie Beverly at AllMusic
• Frankie Beverly discography at Discogs
• Frankie Beverly at the Internet Movie Database
• NPR audio feature: Frankie Beverly, the Soul of Maze with Ed Gordon
• PBS audio feature: Frankie Beverly with Tavis Smiley Archived September 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
• 75-minute audio mix of Maze songs with dialogue from Frankie Beverly