Ebony magazine once described his band as “Black America’s favorite band.”
Frankie Beverly, a singer-songwriter known for his smooth baritone and exuberant soul-funk anthems about love, harmony, joy, and pain, passed away on September 10 at the age of 77. His band Maze became one of the most enduring acts in R&B.
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His family shared the news of his death on social media but did not disclose the cause or location of his passing.
Beverly, who also played guitar and produced music, was the founder and leader of Maze, a group that began as a seven- and later eight-piece ensemble. Ebony once described Maze as "Black America’s favorite band."
Starting in the late 1970s, the band gained a reputation for its electrifying live performances and topped the R&B charts with tracks later sampled by artists like 50 Cent, Wale, and the duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock. Beverly wrapped up a farewell tour with Maze earlier this year and made a guest appearance at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest in August.
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Though Maze never achieved the same mainstream success as artists like Al Green or Marvin Gaye, their songs, including “Love Is the Key,” “Southern Girl,” “Feel That You’re Feelin’,” and “Joy and Pain,” became staples on R&B radio and at house parties. The band’s most iconic hit, the 1981 single “Before I Let Go,” reached No. 13 on the R&B charts and was later covered by Beyoncé.
Essence magazine noted in 2017, “There isn’t a cookout, wedding, or family reunion in Black America where you won’t hear” the song.
Maze’s sound blended Philly soul with a relaxed California vibe, reflecting Beverly’s move from Philadelphia to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971. His music also drew from his childhood, when he sang hymns and gospel at a Baptist church where his father was a deacon.
Wearing his signature ball cap and all-white outfit at concerts, Beverly often took on the role of a secular preacher, urging his audience to “not judge a book by its cover” (“Color Blind”), questioning why people “make each other sad” instead of “having fun” (“We Are One”), and spreading “happy feelings” through his music.
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“Maze means magic and love,” Beverly told Ebony in 1984. “Everybody is in this maze of life together—people of all types, colors, and ages.”
Born Howard Stanley Beverly on December 6, 1946, in Philadelphia, he was the son of a truck driver and a homemaker. He adopted the name Frankie at age 12 after hearing Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, known for their hit “Why Do Fools Fall in Love.”
Beverly began performing professionally in his early teens, touring with the Silhouettes. As he recalled in an online biography, “They lost their lead singer and a couple of guys in the group were from my neighborhood. They’d heard I could sing like Frankie Lymon, and the next thing I knew, they were asking my parents if I could go on the road with them.”
Beverly started several doo-wop groups, including the Butlers, which recorded for one of Kenneth Gamble’s early labels. Inspired by the funk-infused rock of Sly and the Family Stone, he began playing guitar and keyboards, renamed his band Raw Soul, and moved west.
Although Raw Soul struggled to find success in the burgeoning San Francisco music scene, things changed when Gaye’s sister-in-law saw them perform and brought the band to Marvin Gaye’s attention. Gaye invited them to open for him on tour in 1976 and helped them secure a record deal with Capitol Records. Beverly even contributed to Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up,” famously playing a milk bottle in place of a cowbell.
At Gaye’s urging, Raw Soul rebranded as Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly. “I wanted a one-syllable name, and Maze attracted me because it’s a puzzle,” Beverly explained to Jet magazine. “We’re not just an R&B or pop group. You can’t easily label us.”
Maze released its debut album in 1977, selling over half a million copies. The album’s cover featured an illustration of a seven-fingered hand, with each finger representing a band member—Beverly said he was the thumb.
Over the years, Maze released seven more studio albums, including R&B chart-toppers “Can’t Stop the Love” (1985) and “Silky Soul” (1989). Despite their last studio album being “Back to Basics” (1993), Maze continued filling theaters and arenas, serving as the closing act for 15 consecutive years at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.
New York Times critic Ben Ratliff praised the band’s live performances in 2009, writing, “The band’s shows create a feeling of deep serenity. The songs slow the heart rate and spread altruism. You won’t forget where you parked, but you’ll leave in a peaceful state.”
Beverly, who was often private about his personal life, had a long-term relationship with San Francisco news anchor Pam Moore. His son Anthony, a drummer, occasionally joined him on stage. Additional details about survivors were not immediately available.
In the early years, Beverly expressed frustration that Maze hadn’t crossed over to mainstream audiences. But over time, he embraced the group’s devoted following, believing that their niche status allowed them to maintain their unique sound.
“I wish more people knew who I was,” he told the Baltimore Sun in 1994, “but if it means giving up what we have, I’ll wait for them to find out. Whatever this thing is, it’s like a cult.”