The family’s statement reads, “We honor the memory of our beloved Howard Stanley Beverly known to the world as Frankie Beverly,” the statement reads, which includes a request to respect the family’s privacy.
“He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better. He lived for his music, family and friends.
“Love one another, as he would want that for us all.”
Though not as widely recognized as contemporaries like Earth, Wind & Fire or Parliament-Funkadelic, Frankie Beverly and Maze crafted infectious melodies, tight rhythms, and featured his smooth, elegant vocal style. His vocals complemented his signature all-white stage attire and baseball caps, a look embraced by audiences at Maze concerts.
Born Howard Stanley Beverly in Philadelphia on December 6, 1946, Beverly’s musical journey began early in Philly’s East Germantown. He sang gospel in local churches, joined the vocal quartet the Silhouettes at age 12, and later formed the a cappella doo-wop group the Blenders as a teenager at Germantown High School. After the Blenders disbanded, Beverly established the Butlers (later Frankie Beverly and the Butlers) in 1963, releasing singles like “If That’s What You Wanted,” “The Sun’s Message,” and “She Tried to Kiss Me” on local labels Liberty Bell and Guyden.
Philadelphia songwriter-producer Kenny Gamble took notice of Beverly’s work and signed the group to Gamble Records. However, their style didn’t align with Gamble and Leon Huff’s vision of “The Sound of Philadelphia” soul, leading Beverly to leave the label.
In 1971, Beverly and his group, now renamed Raw Soul, relocated to San Francisco. Marvin Gaye became an admirer, booked Raw Soul as his opening act, facilitated their deal with Capitol Records, and suggested a name change to Maze.
Maze’s self-titled debut album, released by Capitol in 1977, featured Beverly’s future classics “Happy Feelin’s,” “While I’m Alone,” and “Lady of Magic.” The band continued to release successful albums, including hits on Warner Bros. after their move in 1989, where they recorded “Silky Soul,” a tribute to Gaye.
Even after the release of their last studio album, “Back to Basics,” in 1993, Beverly’s Maze music remained influential in hip-hop, notably sampled by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock in their 1988 hit “Joy and Pain.” Beverly and Maze continued to tour, with their final performance taking place this year during a retirement tour at Philadelphia’s Dell Music Center in July.
