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Always in Stride: Maze featuring Frankie Beverly

   Frankie Beverly never needed flashy costumes to amplify his stage presence. Instead, the Maze front-man prefers a polished, monochromatic look, usually black or white and his ever-present baseball cap. That low-key appearance contrasts heavily with the group’s high-style performances.
   Known for their magnificent live concerts, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly built a solid reputation on great music; think “Joy and Pain,” “I Can’t Get Over You,” “Golden Time of Day” and “Back in Stride.”
   At 60-years-young Beverly’s soulful voice still commands attention when belting out powerful tunes such as “Feel That You're Feeling,” “We Are One, “What Goes Up” and “Happy Feelin’s.” The group also has a knack for making music for the ladies, gaining their loyalty with “Southern Girl,” “Lady of Magic” and “Laid Back Girl.”
   Maze featuring Frankie Beverly is a reincarnation of The Butlers and formerly Raw Soul.  Singer, songwriter and producer, Beverly, along with original members Roame Lowry and McKinley “Bug” Williams left the Philadelphia music scene in the early 1970s and headed west to San Francisco.
   Not long after touching down in San Francisco, Soul legend Marvin Gaye discovered Frankie Beverly and his band. After helping them with a record deal, Gaye insisted on the name change from Raw Soul to Maze.
   By that time, Beverly was no stranger to name changes. Before his teenage years, the young man born Howard Beverly had changed his name to Frankie Beverly in honor of the Doo-wop group Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.
   With a new name but same classic urban style, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly began their run of successful music making. In 1977, the group released their self-titled album “Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.” One year later came another gold album, “Golden Time of Day.” Over the next three years, the group released “Inspiration” (1979), “Joy and Pain” (1980) and “Live in New Orleans” (1981).
   After five albums in five years, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly quickly became a staple on the concert circuit across the country. They also won worldwide acclaim for their live performances.
   Riding the success of their stage presence, Maze released two studio albums during the mid-1980s, “We Are One” (1983) and “Can’t Stop the Love” (1985) and another live album, “Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly Live in Los Angeles” (1986).
   Since then, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly has released three more studio albums, “Silky Soul” (1989), “Back to Basics” (1993) and “Southern Girl” (1996). Towards the end of 1996, they marked two decades of Maze with their “Anthology.”
   In the 11 years since, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly has not released any studio albums and has been without a record label. The group has never won a Grammy Award; music’s seemingly highest honor, either. But you would never know any of these by looking at their sold-out concerts. Thanks to legions of fans around the world, Maze has had lasting success.  
   The band’s 30-year record of providing the best of contemporary Rhythm and Blues music is unmatched in the industry. They are a must-have act for many music festivals. In the summer of 2007, Frankie Beverly and Maze closed out the Essence Music Festival for the 13th straight year—performing every year the festival has been in existence. The group is also a staple on the annual Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage cruise.  
   Beverly and his band make some of the young ‘cats’ in the music business look like underachievers. The passion and energy that keeps Maze on the road is unmatched by any in the music industry. This year, the band is on “The Fresh Tour,” touching down in California, Washington D.C., The Virgin Islands and many points in between.

-- Diane Francis