Today, we learned that Frankie Beverly (whose given name was Howard Stanley Beverly), the lead singer of the iconic funk and soul group Frankie Beverly & Maze, died at 77. His family announced the news on the singer’s Instagram account.
He made us happy.
According to The Philadephia Tribune, the crooner was born on December 6, 1946, and was influenced early by gospel music and singing in the church. He got the nickname Frankie because he was a fan of Frankie Lyman. While attending Germantown High School, he formed his first short-lived group, the Blenders, inspired by doo-woop groups.
In 1963, he founded the Butlers. They became Raw Soul in 1971 after moving to San Francisco. According to the New York Times, Marvin Gaye took the group under his wing after suggesting the final name change, to Frankie Beverly & Maze.
He created a soundtrack that transcended generations.
If you read Rolling Stone’s stats, they don’t capture Beverly’s true impact and what he meant to our community.
“Between 1977 and 1993, Beverly and Maze enjoyed a wildly successful run, during which they dropped eight studio albums and two live records. Eight of those 10 projects earned gold certification, and two — 1985’s Can’t Stop the Love and 1989’s Silky Soul — topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart. Those two records featured the group’s two Number One songs on the R&B Singles Chart, too, “Back in Stride” and “Can’t Get Over You.”
The Amsterdam News got it right when they called the baritone “the quintessential soul man and voice of the cookout.”
The paper wrote, “No better tune exemplifies the slow-yet-steady rise of Maze than “Before I Let Go.” Originally released in 1981 as a studio cut on a live album, the song peaked at No. 13 on Billboard’s R&B chart. In the 30-plus years since, the song grew to be played at the end of parties, the beginning of receptions, and everywhere in between.”
But Beverly was also the unofficial King of the White Party. He often donned all white for his performances, and his audiences followed his dress code. It became the “official attire” for the group’s concerts. One of the most significant places it was on display was EssenceFest.
Frankie Beverly & Maze was the official closing act for the festival’s first 15 years. This summer, organizers paid tribute to him before he returned home to perform for the final stop of his farewell tour at the Dell Music Center in North Philly on July 6th. After 50 years of performing, the crooner had announced his retirement.
Just a couple of months earlier, on the 6000 block of Norwood Street, near his childhood home in Germantown, he participated in the ceremonial renaming of “Frankie Beverly Way.”
The cause of Beverly’s death is unknown at this time. We extend our condolences to his family and all who loved him.
The band will continue as Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly, according to Billboard.
We thank him for all the happy feelings he gave us.
Finally, listening to Frankie Beverly’s music may have improved our mood and outlook. Psychology Today says. Listening to happy music can influence how one perceives the world in a stressful situation. Upbeat tunes, for example, can give one an optimistic outlook and make one feel better.
