Music legend and icon Frankie Beverly has passed away at the age of 77, according to an announcement from his family on his Instagram page.
The announcement was made at approximately 8 a.m. Sept. 11. According to the post, Beverly, whose real name is Howard Stanley Beverly, passed away on Sept. 10.
“Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional experience,” the statement began. “During this time, as we are navigating feelings of sorrow, reflection, and remembrance we kindly ask for privacy and understanding, allowing us the space to grieve in our own way. This period for is one of healing, and your respect for our need for solitude is appreciated as we honor the memory of our beloved Howard Stanley Beverly known to the world as Frankie Beverly.”
“He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better. He lived for his music, family and friends.”
“Love one another as he would want that for us all.”
Howard Stanley Beverly aka Frankie Beverly 12/6/46 – 9/10/24 The Beverly Family
Mr. Beverly, who also produced and played guitar, was the founder and driving force behind Maze, a seven- and then eight-piece group that quickly became one of Black America’s favorite groups.
Beginning in the late 1970s, they developed a reputation as an energetic live act, and rose to the top of the R&B chart with songs that were later sampled by hip-hop artists including 50 Cent, Wale, and the New York duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock.
“Southern Girl,” “Feel That You’re Feelin’ ” and “Joy and Pain” became staples of R&B radio stations and decades of house parties. The band’s most enduring hit, the jubilant 1981 single “Before I Let Go,” peaked at No. 13 on the R&B chart and was later covered by Beyoncé.
Maze’s touring success boggles the mind. The band hasn’t had a studio album to promote since 1993, but they sing and play to sold-out shows in city after city, year after year.
“There isn’t a cookout, not a wedding or family reunion in Black America where you won’t hear” the song, Essence magazine declared in 2017.
In March, Beverly was even awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAACP Image Awards.
After relocating from Philadelphia to San Francisco in the early 1970s, Beverly’s big break came when he met Marvin Gaye, who invited Beverly and his band to open for him on tour. It was Gaye who also suggested the band adopt the name Maze.
“For the next [few] months, we kicked names in the butt,” Music lover and friend Michael Burton said. “We go back to Marvin and say, ‘How about Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly’? We did a name check and found out there was a band already called Maze. Marvin said, ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ll take care of that.’ From my understanding, we bought the name. It’s been Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly ever since.”
In the years that followed, Beverly and Maze found considerable success, releasing nine gold albums and delivering chart-topping hits such as “Back in Stride,” “Can’t Get Over You,” and “Before I Let Go.”
“‘Before I Let Go’ really did turn out to be something more than I even imagined,” Beverly told Essence in 2020. “I got blessed with that.”
The upbeat song, he said at the time, is actually about a love lost.
“I was seeing some lady but I was just with someone (else) and we broke up, he told the outlet. “And it got kind of hard because I wasn’t with the woman I wanted to be with and I couldn’t stay with the one I was with.”
In 2019, Beyoncé covered the track for her “Homecoming” film and corresponding live album following her Coachella performance.
Beverly told Billboard that year that the platinum-selling cover was “one of the high points of my life.”
The band remained active in recent years, performing live in their signature all-white at festivals, and touring as recently as earlier this year on the six-city I Wanna Thank You Tour, which also marked his retirement.
On this year’s farewell tour, Beverly announced that Maze would continue performing with lead vocalist Tony Lindsay in his place. “The band will carry on as Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly,” he said. “It’s been a great ride through the decades. Let the music of my legacy live on.”
So many Frankie Beverly songs could be heard in heavy rotation back in the day — and even still today.
What makes Frankie Beverly’s serene-sounding music so special for generations of Black America, in particular, is the heavenly combination of the chill frequencies in his music, deep instrumentation from Maze and his rich, comforting voice. Plus, it’s the honest and wholesome messages in his lyrics about life as heard on songs like “Joy and Pain” that people look forward to. It’s the perfect soundtrack to a warm, sunny spring day, which ironically greeted concertgoers, family reunion attendees, or people who are just cleaning the house listening to his music.
When it comes to his favorite song(s), Beverly doesn’t hesitate.
“‘Happy Feelings’ and ‘We Are One’ really define who MAZE is,” Beverly says in a 2012 interview. ‘We Are One’ describes how we really feel in our heart as a group and as a family.”
While you may have your own set of favorites from the music legend, one thing is for sure: his legacy of hits that bring people together will live on.
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