Legendary Soul Singer Frankie Beverly Passes Away, Aged 77
Frankie Beverly, a renowned legend of soul music, founder and frontman of the band Maze, has passed away on Monday, September 10th. Born as Howard Beverly in Philadelphia, 1946, Frankie began his career as a teenager in the early 1960s, with an acapella doo wop group, The Blenders. After the group dissolved, he founded the The Butlers in 1963, which were the first group he recorded with.
After rebranding as Raw Soul, and moving to San Francisco in 1971, the group caught the attention of the iconic Marvin Gaye, who featured them as an opening act, and convinced them to change the group’s name to Maze. These events ushered in Maze’s most successful era, in which they released numerous gold albums from 1977 to 1993. The group is perhaps best known for their 1981 hit, “Before I Let Go,” which was also covered by Beyonce Knowles in 2019.
His all-white onstage attire became his trademark style, and has started a tradition of the band’s audiences wearing all-white at concerts, as a way to honor the group. In a heartfelt statement, his family proclaimed he “lived his life with pure soul,” and that he “lived for music, family, and friends.” The cause of death is currently unknown.
May he rest in peace.
