Frankie Beverly, the iconic R&B singer and Philadelphia native best known as the frontman of Maze, has passed away.
Frankie Beverly, Philadelphia born singer and songwriter, the quite voice of Maze, has died at 77. Later on Tuesday morning, Beverly’s family posted on the Instagram announcing that their favorite musician had died on Monday, 10th of September.
Family mourns of loss of a musical icon
Beverly’s family mourns his death in an emotional social media post and said, “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. ” However, no other details regarding his death have been released by his family to the public, as they asked for some time and space to grieve about him.
Early Life: From Philadelphia’s Church Choirs to Music Stardom
Born Howard Stanley Beverly, the legendary musician began his journey in Philadelphia’s East Germantown neighborhood, where he first performed as a soloist in his local church. As a teenager, Beverly sang with the group “The Silhouettes” before forming his own doo-wop group called “The Blenders.” His passion for music was evident early on, paving the way for his eventual rise in the R&B scene.
In 1970, Beverly formed the group “Raw Soul” in Philadelphia, which later evolved into the renowned band “Frankie Beverly and Maze.” The group’s big break came after moving to San Francisco, where they caught the attention of Motown legend Marvin Gaye. According to Beverly’s official website, it was Gaye who advised the group to change their name, leading to the birth of “Frankie Beverly and Maze.”
Although most people know her as a talented female vocalist of the male group Maze that she formed, Beverly was also the lead vocalists, songwriter, producer and arranger for the unit. The gentle tunes such as ‘Before I Let Go’, ‘Joy and Pain’, ‘Happy Feelin’s’, became anthems for African-American people embracing ray-shooting parties including cookouts or family reunion or simply dance floor stepper-ups.
His song ‘before I let go’ where Beverly received popularity was recently remixed and sang by the great Queen Beyonce in her home coming live show in 2019. Although, Beverly was never awarded a Grammy, one can safely say that no other singer has had such a profound and lasting impact on audiences as Beverly Knight has.
Honoring a Hometown Hero: In Honour Of Frankie Beverly of Philadelphia
This was few months back when the people of his home town of East Germantown paid homage to Beverly by naming a part of the street after him; “Frankie Beverly Way”. Beverly hosted the event at the Temple University Cobb’s staff along with Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Councilmember Cindy Bass, and several other community members to honor the impact of Beverly on Philadelphia music history. Frankie was humble and though he did not talk much near this area during the dedication, Bass voiced what people knew too well “This is for someone who has positively impacted Philadelphians, for somebody who knows music knows that music runs in the veins of Philadelphia, and Frankie is this contribution”.
To be precise, this is the last sightseeing and the last time waving a farewell.
This past spring, Beverly and Maze concluded their “I Wanna Thank You Farewell Tour” with a couple of shows that were heartfelt at the The Dell Music Center in North Philadelphia. Beverly was accompanied by Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts who came on stage to perform by presenting the singer a bouquet of flowers. Originating from HIP-HOP enthusiastic Hurts, who has always listen to classic soul music, he displayed his feeling on the demise of Beverly through his social page account.
Condolences streamed in from various artists, celebrities and ordinary citizens of the world after the news of Beverly’s death came to light. Dave from The Roots also paid tribute to the late singer writing a dedication which was re-tweeted by thousands of fans and Patti Labelle who shared a picture with Beverly at one of her shows. “I love you Frankie! Thank you for always lifting us higher! Rest in love and peace!” Another said this.
Basketball Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson also went to his social media to express his tributes about Beverly’s significance in his life but also his wife. On the same day, a number of Media personalities also took to social media to pay tributes to Beverly; Philadelphia radio DJ Patty Jackson stated that Beverly’s music was timeless with her concentrating on the lyrics of the songs he performed. “His music touched our lives. When he sang, ‘Joy and Pain;’ I think of words like: ‘You are going to have joy. And you are going to have pain. ’ And you are going to have sunshine, and you are going to have rain. ’ That is life” Jackson noted. “He was such a talented artist who showed that he did not need to win all of the major accolades; it is rather a pity that he never has won the Grammy. ”
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