Current:Home > InvestFrankie Beverly, the Maze singer who inspired generations of fans with lasting anthems, dies at 77-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Frankie Beverly, the Maze singer who inspired generations of fans with lasting anthems, dies at 77
lotradecoin blockchain network compatibility View Date:2024-12-25 16:26:45
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Frankie Beverly, who with his band Maze inspired generations of fans with his smooth, soulful voice and lasting anthems including “Before I Let Go,” has died. He was 77.
His family said in a post on the band’s website and social media accounts that Beverly died Tuesday. In the post, which asked for privacy, the family said “he lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better.” The post did not say his cause of death or where he died.
Beverly, whose songs include “Joy and Pain,” “Love is the Key,” and “Southern Girl,” finished his farewell “I Wanna Thank You Tour” in his hometown of Philadelphia in July. That same month, the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans included a special tribute to Beverly and Maze, who closed out the event for its first 15 years. His performances at the festival — the nation’s largest annual celebration of Black culture — would turn the crowd into a sea of dancing fans, many wearing white clothing like Beverly himself often donned.
“Frankie Beverly’s artistry wasn’t just about sound; it was the very thread that stitched together our collective memories and moments of joy,” the festival’s organizers said in a statement. “His melodies will forever echo in our hearts and continue to inspire.”
Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League and a former mayor of New Orleans, said Maze’s 1981 album “Live In New Orleans” cemented the city’s relationship with Beverly. Morial said he always sat in the front row for Maze’s closeout show at the festival and remembers turning around and seeing a crowd that was “joyful like a choir” singing all of the words with Beverly.
“His music had feeling. It had positive themes of love, happiness, family and togetherness,” Morial said. “It was just electrical and magical and it’s what made us fall in love with him.”
Howard Stanley Beverly, born Dec. 6, 1946 in Philadelphia, was so taken with the 1950s R&B group Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers that he changed his name to Frankie.
Maze started out in Philadelphia the early 1970s as Raw Soul before heading to the San Francisco Bay Area. It was Marvin Gaye who convinced him to change the band’s name to Maze and, in 1977, helped them release their first album, “Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly.”
On the title track of his 1989 album “Silky Soul,” Beverly paid tribute to Gaye, remembering the singer who thrived on the romantic soul and protest songs that Maze was also known for.
“That kind of faith, you’re talking ’60s, hippie generation,” Beverly told The Associated Press in 1990. “It’s missing and I personally feel bad about that. We grew up in the ’60s — we’re ex-hippies.”
Among those mourning Beverly was Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who wrote on X: “His timeless music, his powerful words and his lasting impact. I’m devastated to hear about this one.”
New Orleans resident Sedrick T. Thomas, 64, a lifelong fan of Beverly and his music, said Beverly’s passing “leaves a chasm in the world of R&B.”
“I feel myself in mourning,” Thomas said. “Frankie was a great entertainer who made sure we, as fans, walked away with an incredible experience. I grew up on his music. I thank him for ‘Joy and Pain,’ for ‘Southern Girl,’ for ‘Happy Feelin’s, and for ‘Before I Let Go.’ I thank him for the time and energy he put into his performances. And though the music will live on, he will be greatly missed.”
___
Stengle reported from Dallas.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- American Supercar: A first look at the 1,064-HP 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
- Authorities offer $45,000 for info leading to arrest in arson, vandalism cases in Arizona town
- Warren Buffett has left the table. Homeless charity asks investors to bid on meal with software CEO
- In striking reversal, low-paid workers saw biggest wage growth during pandemic years
- Video shows 2 toddlers in diapers, distraught in the middle of Texas highway after crash
- New 'Joker' movie trailer shows Joaquin Phoenix's return for 'Folie à Deux' sequel
- Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery
- Like Tesla and BMW, Toyota plans to allow drivers to easily change car color
- 'Alien: Romulus' movie review: Familiar sci-fi squirms get a sheen of freshness
- Paris Olympics slated to include swimming the Seine. The problem? It's brimming with bacteria
Ranking
- What Conservation Coalitions Have Learned from an Aspen Tree
- Aoki Lee Simmons and Vittorio Assaf Break Up Days After PDA-Filled Vacation
- Like Tesla and BMW, Toyota plans to allow drivers to easily change car color
- Australian News Anchor Nathan Templeton Found Dead on Walking Path at 44
- Rob Schneider seeks forgiveness from daughter Elle King after 'fat camp' claims
- Pennsylvania makes a push to attract and approve carbon capture wells
- Knife-wielding woman fatally shot by officers in Indiana, police say
- Warning light prompts Boeing 737 to make emergency landing in Idaho
Recommendation
-
Demi Lovato opens up about how 'daddy issues' led her to chase child stardom, success
-
Who's in 2024 NHL playoffs? Tracking standings, playoff race, tiebreakers, scenarios
-
Former assistant principal charged with child neglect in case of 6-year-old boy who shot teacher
-
2024 NBA mock draft post-March Madness: Donovan Clingan, Zach Edey climb board
-
The Sunscreen and Moisturizer Duo That Saved My Skin on a Massively Hot European Vacation
-
Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart soars on music charts during total solar eclipse
-
Brittany Snow's directorial debut shows us to let go of our 'Parachute'
-
Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart soars on music charts during total solar eclipse