(September 19, 2024). Nine days have passed since we lost one of our greatest music icons in Frankie Beverly. His death on Sept. 10 at age 77 is one that has reverberated throughout the Black community like few, if any, others this decade.
The Philly-born, Louisiana-honed and Bay Area-rooted singer, born Howard Stanley Beverly in 1945, has already been the recipient of a New Orleans-style sendoff with a “second line parade” through that city’s streets on Sept. 16. Massive crowds gathered for the memorial held by the town that called Beverly their own and where much of his earliest music was recorded. Millions more are expected to participate in a “National Whiteout for Frankie Beverly” on Friday, Sept. 20, when fans will be asked to wear all white (the singer’s favorite color), stream Maze music all day, and use the hashtag #whiteoutforfrankie on social media posts.
(Spoiler: You can skip all the preliminaries and scroll to the bottom of this article to see my exclusive ranking of Maze’s 20 most essential songs.)
Not since Aretha Franklin’s funeral services in 2018 can I recall a musician receiving the kind of recognition Beverly has in the past week and a half. And while little detail – as of this writing – is known about funeral arrangements for the velvety smooth-voiced singer whose career as the leader of Maze spanned nearly five decades, you can bet his official services will be befitting the man whose music and concerts galvanized multiple generations of folks — particularly Black folks — in ways that even musicians of higher commercial status couldn’t dream about achieving.
The loss of Beverly has equally been felt – from a musical perspective – in my own home where two generations of music lovers have tried to process just what Beverly meant to us individually and to “the culture” at large.
My mom introduced me to Frankie Beverly when I was 14. It was 1980 and she had just purchased the single – a 7-inch vinyl 45rpm record – of “Southern Girl,” a smooth slice of groove-laden, mid-tempo funk serenading a love interest from “below the Mason-Dixon line.” At this point in our respective musical journeys, my mom and I shared duties as record buyers. Maze’s “Southern Girl” was undeniably hers. She’d play the 45 on repeat in our living room – back then that was the equivalent of looping a song on today’s streaming services. I, on the other hand, was grooving on funkier fare like Brothers Johnson’s Light Up the Night album and, of course, the dual offerings of the Chic Organization in Diana Ross’ Diana album and the group’s own Real People, alongside new releases by Cameo, Con Funk Shun and Fatback, among others.
I had not heard of Maze featuring Frankie Beverly before then, so I didn’t appreciate that the band was already three years (and four albums) deep into their recording career under that name, with “Southern Girl” representing their eighth single on the Capitol Records label. Through the late summer and early fall of 1980, the song would be an essential part of the soundtrack to many of my parents’ parties and other gatherings. My folks were already onto Beverly’s future status as an essential part of Black celebrations.
Fast forward 44 years to earlier in 2024 – before his passing – when my mother was binge-watching YouTube concert footage of her now-favorite musician (joining the ranks of Stevie Wonder, The Isley Brothers, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Chuck Brown) and observing his declining health. She said to me, “Frankie Beverly should’ve been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
I immediately – and somewhat myopically — dismissed the thought, noting that he hadn’t really crossed over like that. My mom quipped, “so many other Black musicians have gotten in… why not him?” Right then I started recalling the other Black artists – easily more than 100 of them – who’ve been inducted into the RRHoF and thought, “yeah but Frankie Beverly was different.”
He was ours. Uniquely ours. Exclusively ours.
While inductees like Michael Jackson, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross (via the Supremes), Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige and others of their stature belonged to the world at large, Frankie Beverly – not through any malice or ill-will — belonged solely to Black American culture… and he likely didn’t mind that at all.
Don’t get me wrong, those other artists I’ve named are just as essential to us. But among their many, many soul hits are dozens upon dozens of songs that also crossed over to the pop charts. Collectively, the superstar artists listed above have had more than 200 hits that made the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their superstar status was partially built on their ability to be marketed to a wider, more diverse audience.
Frankie Beverly had zero top 40 pop hits. In fact, his only Billboard Hot 100 entries were relegated to the bottom 40 positions of that chart.
His and Maze’s biggest pop chart entry, “Feel that You’re Feeling,” peaked at No. 67 in 1979. It was the second of only four Hot 100 singles, none of the other three – “While I’m Alone” (1977), “Love Is the Key” (1983), and “Back in Stride” (1985) — rising above No. 80 or spending more than a month on the chart.
On the other hand, 28 of his songs reached the Hot Soul Singles-turned-Black Singles-turned-R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, with 24 of those reaching its top 40, nine making the top 10 and two— “Back in Stride” and “Can’t Get Over You”—going all the way to No. 1.
Still, using my mom’s insightful assessment of his unusual impact on a community that absolutely adored him, if the Rock Hall of Fame is viewed as a measure of one’s true impact on music and American culture, then it made sense that Beverly – perhaps like inductee Nina Simone who had just one crossover top 40 hit and is arguably less accomplished than Beverly – deserves a place in the hallowed Hall.
I further liken Beverly and Maze to the Grateful Dead, the famous Jeff Garcia-led jam band who was inducted 30 years ago and whose lone-top 40 hit, “Touch of Grey” in 1987, certainly didn’t reflect that band’s total contribution to a whole following and culture that existed outside of the mainstream. As with Deadheads, Beverly’s following was extremely loyal. His concerts were filled with long jam-outs of songs that included lengthy instrumental breaks, many of which were already long studio tracks – of the seven- or eight-minute variety – to begin with.
And like Deadheads, Beverly’s fans were there for the experience – which amounted to a Black communal one – one that embodied joy, pain, love and togetherness. Like the Dead, the fact that Maze hadn’t released an album of new music in over 30 years (since 1993’s Back to Basics) didn’t matter. The soundtrack Beverly and his group had given us in 16 years of recording was more than enough to satisfy our palettes for decades to come.
Maze’s signature grooves – from the very first single “When I’m Alone” in 1977 to their last meaningful hit, “The Morning After,” in 1993 – captivated us, creating an atmosphere that allowed the audience to fully immerse themselves in the music. With Frankie at the helm, it was like church — but with basslines, guitar licks and smooth rhythms embellishing Beverly’s sermons. Like any pastor, his followers were loyal, generation after generation, never wavering in their support even when his voice began to falter. Towards the end, his fans became his choir, filling in the gaps and celebrating him in ways that transcended the music.
Perhaps no two songs in Beverly’s repertoire soundtracked that celebration more than “Before I Let Go” (1981) and “Joy and Pain” (1980).
No cookout, no wedding, no family reunion feels complete without “Let Go,” even 43 years after its release. The song’s opening bars immediately beckon people to the dance floor without any coaxing required. The song’s feel-good, laid-back vibe transcends time and continues to be the soundtrack to our most joyous moments. Despite its very modest showing on the charts in 1981 (No. 13 soul; did not make the pop chart), “Before I Let Go” has been a rite of passage for decades. It’s likely now surpassed fellow 20th century classics like “Got to Give It Up” (Marvin Gaye) and “Got To Be Real” (Cheryl Lynn) in its ubiquity.
Equally essential is “Joy and Pain,” a song that inexplicably missed the charts altogether and whose message resonates deeply with anyone who’s lived through the highs and lows of life. Beverly’s genius lay in his ability to capture the full range of human emotions, seamlessly weaving them together via a musical tapestry that laid his message out in the simplest of terms, making it even more accessible to his vast audience. Few songs’ choruses so memorably conveyed that life’s bitter moments are what make the sweet ones that much more meaningful, as “Joy and Pain” did.
Those two songs alone, simply because of their cultural impact, make my mother’s argument more legitimate the more I write in this article. People have certainly gotten into the RRHoF on fewer credentials than Beverly’s.
But a posthumous induction to that institution would almost bely what many believe the soul music icon stood for. His music spoke to a community’s shared experiences of joy and struggle – universal traits, yes, but uniquely ours as conveyed through Beverly’s unmistakable voice and his heartfelt delivery. In a world where so many of our music heroes sought mainstream acceptance and crossover success – and often achieved it – the uncompromising and consistent Beverly stood apart, his worth not dictated by how high he went on the charts or by recognition from the industry’s biggest institutions. His nine gold albums – largely the result of purchases by the same community whose hard-earned dollars could hardly be described as discretionary — were enough to sustain him. And when the albums stopped, Maze’s concerts continued to provide that sustenance with undeniable success — mainstream acceptance be damned.
There may never be another like Frankie Beverly – a treasure to Black music lovers everywhere, a soul who embodied our community’s essence with every note he sang and every song he wrote (and he wrote all of them!). Whether he was singing to us, for us, or with us, his words always felt sincere, always authentic. He didn’t just give us music—he gave us memories, moments, and emotions. He allowed us to embrace both joy and pain equally. And for that needed message, we will always be grateful.
Below, in a small tribute to his greatness, is the blog’s ranking of the 20 most essential – and, by extension, most important — songs by Frankie Beverly and Maze, counted down from No. 20 to No. 1. The list is based solely on opinion and informed by chart performance (yes, it is still informative), streaming activity, and my general impressions of cultural impact and which songs have endured the most over the decades. Perhaps this will help inform your listening parties during this weekend’s “whiteouts for Frankie.”
Oh, and feel free to comment about your favorite song either below the article or on any of the social media feeds where the article is posted.
20. “I Love You Too Much” (1983)
From the band’s fifth album, We Are One, came this mid-tempo ballad whose title is self-explanatory. In it, Beverly yearningly expresses feelings of jealousy, confusion, and adoration – things we can all relate to, but find hard to express. Thankfully, he was around to do it for us.
19. “The Morning After” (1993)
By 1993, nearly four years after the band had recorded its previous album for Warner Records, Maze featuring Frankie released its final studio LP, Back to Basics. While the album contained many concessions to contemporary music trends, “The Morning After” stood out as a throwback to the jazzier, mid-tempo grooves that characterized the band’s earlier sound. It was the group’s last top 20 R&B hit, peaking at No. 19 in 1993.
18. “Lady of Magic” (1977)
This breezy track from Maze’s debut album is considered a classic by many of the group’s most ardent fans, and understandably so. Never released as a single, “Lady of Magic” received R&B play as an album cut and helped propel the band’s self-titled album to a gold certification – its first of nine total over its career.
17. “Call on Me” (1979)
From Maze’s third album came this mature, plaintive ballad that sees Beverly (after a whistle intro) expressing love – and his availability — for a former love interest who’s left him for another. It’s a rare show of vulnerability in the otherwise machoistic world of R&B.
16. “We Are One” (1983)
This writer believes Maze’s fifth album – We Are One – was one of their best. This top-notch title track was one of the key reasons. A song of unity in 1983 that could easily apply to 21st century America, especially the current times. As Frankie wrote, “We’ve got so much, we could all be having so much fun.” The song peaked at No. 47 on the R&B chart in 1983.
15. “I Wanna Thank You” (1983)
Another Maze essential track, this mid-tempo ballad was intended as a love song, but as a regular concert closer, it often doubled as Beverly’s show of gratitude to its multitude of devoted fans. It was the last song he performed just a month before his passing in San Jose at the jazz summer festival there.
14. “Southern Girl” (1980)
The song that introduced me to Maze, although other fans had discovered them years earlier. I can thank my mother for this one. Without her purchase of the 45, I likely wouldn’t have appreciated the band’s greatness until later – maybe just months later, based on the next song on this list.
13. “The Look in Your Eyes” (1980)
No Maze song brings back fonder memories of being in Beverly’s hometown of Philadelphia more than this ballad. That’s because when my family lived in nearby NJ in 1980, WDAS-FM – Philly’s historic R&B/Soul station – played this song on heavy rotation, so much so that it made my personal chart’s top 30 during its peak in popularity… like the status it attained on Billboard’s soul chart that year.
12. “Running Away” (1981)
“We need some rejuvenation… leaving a bad situation.” This top 10 R&B hit immediately preceded follow-up single “Before I Let Go,” and although it was the bigger chart hit, it hasn’t nearly matched the latter song’s ubiquity in the decades since. Still, it aptly carries the messages of looking inward to find peace and leave bad situations behind.
11. “Can’t Get Over You” (1989)
This mid-tempo ballad was a breath of fresh air in 1989, coming amidst a never-ending sea of hip-hop and new jack swing by younger acts. At the time, the then-42-year-old Beverly was still very much in demand, despite not having released an album of new material in more than four years. It was well worth the wait, as “Can’t Get Over You” reached No. 1 on the R&B singles chart, and the album’s title track, “Silky Soul,” was also a big hit.
10. “Silky Soul” (1989)
In 1989, Frankie Beverly decided to pay homage to the man who made Maze’s leap to stardom in 1977 possible: Marvin Gaye. It was Gaye who lobbied for the group to be signed to Capitol Records after he’d become impressed with their leader’s singing and songwriting a year earlier. That leader – Beverly – recorded this tribute to Gaye five years after his tragic death in 1984. The song climbed to No. 4 on the R&B chart in 1989.
9. “Back in Stride” (1985)
In the synth-filled mid-80s when the lines between Black top 40 and mainstream pop were becoming murkier, Beverly and Co. released this up-tempo jam as the first single from their album Can’t Stop the Love. It was as close to pop as the band would come, and it became their first No. 1 single on the R&B chart (and gave them their first No. 1 album there as well). The song peaked at No. 88 pop.
8. “Feel That You’re Feelin’” (1979)
This soft funk jam with the band’s signature organ chords underpinning it came from the band’s third album – and their third of seven studio sets to reach gold certification. It’s introduced by a Johnny “Guitar” Watson-like guitar intro, a style that went out with the 1970s, but still helped propel this song to become Maze’s second top 10 R&B hit (No. 7 peak) in May 1979.
7. “You” (1977)
Another classic from their debut album, this eight-minute dance track often opened the band’s shows, including Beverly’s last appearance in August 2024 at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest.
6. “Love Is the Key” (1983)
At the time of this song’s release in 1983, it became Frankie Beverly & Maze’s biggest soul chart single, reaching No. 5 in the spring of that year. Taken from their We Are One LP, “Key” is this writer’s favorite Maze track.
5. “While I’m Alone” (1977)
Maze’s first single from their first album, it put the band in the national spotlight just a year after signing with Capitol Records (which came by way of a huge endorsement from Marvin Gaye). It was the first time the nation would hear Beverly’s famous, church-honed baritone-tenor vocals on record. “When I’m Alone” reached No. 21 on the Soul Chart and No. 89 on the Hot 100.
4. “Golden Time of Day” (1978)
From Maze’s second album came this title track, on which it appeared that Beverly – a self-proclaimed “flower child” – borrowed a page (one of several perhaps) from the Maurice White playbook, with lyrics that spoke of that “time in your life when you find who you are … and in your mind, you will find you’re a bright, shining star– ooh, that’s the golden time of day.”
3. “Happy Feelin’s” (1977)
One of Beverly’s most enduring compositions is this seven-minute groover from Maze’s first album. The song’s happy lyrics are contrasted by its solemn melody, which is reminiscent of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “That’s the Way of the World” from their 1975 album (and movie) of the same name. Ironically, EWF had a track on that album called “Happy Feelin’,” which was much more upbeat than this Maze classic.
2. “Joy and Pain” (1980)
“Joy and Pain” wasn’t Maze’s first (or last) song that spoke of these two opposite feelings. But it is certainly the most impactful. Few songs’ choruses are etched in our collective memories as much as this one’s is. The song, which failed to reach either the soul or R&B charts in 1980, was famously sampled into the classic hip-hop namesake smash by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock in 1989 and peaked higher on the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 58) than any of Maze’s singles did.
1. “Before I Let Go” (1981)
Included as one of four new studio tracks on the band’s Live in New Orleans album in 1981, no one could have predicted how important this song, which peaked at No. 13 R&B in late 1981 and missed the Hot 100 altogether, would become in Maze’s catalog over the ensuing four decades. In fact, over Maze’s chart career, ten of their singles outperformed “Before I Let Go” on the R&B charts. But none of them have endured as much as this feel-good jam. Nothing packs a dance floor as quickly as hearing those first few bars of this song coming over the speakers… a fact of Black life that will likely exist for generations to come.
In the statement posted on Instagram on Sept. 11 announcing his death the day before, Beverly’s family noted that “grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional experience” as they requested privacy and “the space to grieve in their own way.” We certainly honor their wishes and express our condolences to the family as they lay their loved one to rest.
May Howard Stanley “Frankie” Beverly (1946-2024) rest in power!
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog and on Meta’s Threads.
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