Group most well-known for their hit song Before I Let Go, Beyoncé covered on Homecoming in 2019
Lead singer of the soul and funk band Maze and best-known for the tune Before I Let Go, Frankie Beverly passed away; his family said on Wednesday.
Relatives verified in a statement uploaded on his social media accounts that the artist passed away on Tuesday at the age of 77. Not indicated is the cause of death.
"He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, nobody did it better," the family said. "He lived for family and friends, music."
The comment went on, "Love one another, as he would want that for us all."
Born in Philadelphia in December 1946, Beverly started his musical career in the 1960s and subsequently started the soul band Maze in 1970, then known as Raw Soul. Beverly's website states that the trio relocated to San Francisco and soon encountered Marvin Gaye, who took under wing the group and renamed it Maze.
Maze debuted their first album, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, in 1977. Over the years, they released eight more albums including the smash Before I Let Go and other major singles like Happy Feelin’s, Joy and Pain and We Are One.
Beverly announced a farewell tour earlier this year and gave his last performance in Philadelphia in July.
He told Billboard when he announced the tour in February that he wanted to "share with my lifetime fans and associates that I'll be going out on the road one last time, then retire."
"As I pass on the lead vocalist torch to Tony Lindsay, I really appreciate your support over more than 50 years. The band will keep playing as Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly. The trip over the decades has been fantastic. Let the melodies of my legacy carry on, he said.
Beverly said in a 2005 NPR interview that live music events "are the most potent kind of art," adding: "When you're cookin', it begins cookin'. The count of people in the room has no bearing on anything. It is simply a unique occurrence.
Beyoncé covered the 1981 Maze hit Before I Let Go on her live album Homecoming in 2019; in an interview with Billboard in that year about the cover, Beverly said, "one of the high points" of his life.
Beyoncé was a "great friend," he claimed, and he hadn't realized ahead of time she would be covering his song. "I was blown away when they performed it; that's when I heard the first draft of it," he added. "That is a gift. She is really clever and works incredibly. Though surprised, I find it really attractive.
Beverly claimed to have met Beyoncé while she was in her teens when she and her mother went to a Maze performance at the Houston rodeo. He remarked, "She wasn't a big hit star then, but we wound up working together a few times since and she's always been very, very nice to me."
Beverly told Billboard in the interview that the song Before I Let Go related to a relationship he was in at the time. "It was just up and down; by the end of it I wrote a song since I felt I needed to get out of it," he remarked.
Many people paid Beverly honors on Wednesday.
With a caption "Let's celebrate the life and work of the great Frankie Beverly," singer John Legend uploaded a picture of Beverly on Instagram. Being an artist appeals to me because our creations create legacy that transcends our lifetime on this planet. Frankie has bestowed upon the planet such delight. His songs will continue to live. It will always be a part of our society, a necessary component of the background music for family get-togethers, cookouts, and holidays. I hope he rest well.
Karl Jablonski
Group most well-known for their hit song Before I Let Go, Beyoncé covered on Homecoming in 2019
Lead singer of the soul and funk band Maze and best-known for the tune Before I Let Go, Frankie Beverly passed away; his family said on Wednesday.
Relatives verified in a statement uploaded on his social media accounts that the artist passed away on Tuesday at the age of 77. Not indicated is the cause of death.
"He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, nobody did it better," the family said. "He lived for family and friends, music."
The comment went on, "Love one another, as he would want that for us all."
Born in Philadelphia in December 1946, Beverly started his musical career in the 1960s and subsequently started the soul band Maze in 1970, then known as Raw Soul. Beverly's website states that the trio relocated to San Francisco and soon encountered Marvin Gaye, who took under wing the group and renamed it Maze.
Maze debuted their first album, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, in 1977. Over the years, they released eight more albums including the smash Before I Let Go and other major singles like Happy Feelin’s, Joy and Pain and We Are One.
Beverly announced a farewell tour earlier this year and gave his last performance in Philadelphia in July.
He told Billboard when he announced the tour in February that he wanted to "share with my lifetime fans and associates that I'll be going out on the road one last time, then retire."
"As I pass on the lead vocalist torch to Tony Lindsay, I really appreciate your support over more than 50 years. The band will keep playing as Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly. The trip over the decades has been fantastic. Let the melodies of my legacy carry on, he said.
Beverly said in a 2005 NPR interview that live music events "are the most potent kind of art," adding: "When you're cookin', it begins cookin'. The count of people in the room has no bearing on anything. It is simply a unique occurrence.
Beyoncé covered the 1981 Maze hit Before I Let Go on her live album Homecoming in 2019; in an interview with Billboard in that year about the cover, Beverly said, "one of the high points" of his life.
Beyoncé was a "great friend," he claimed, and he hadn't realized ahead of time she would be covering his song. "I was blown away when they performed it; that's when I heard the first draft of it," he added. "That is a gift. She is really clever and works incredibly. Though surprised, I find it really attractive.
Beverly claimed to have met Beyoncé while she was in her teens when she and her mother went to a Maze performance at the Houston rodeo. He remarked, "She wasn't a big hit star then, but we wound up working together a few times since and she's always been very, very nice to me."
Beverly told Billboard in the interview that the song Before I Let Go related to a relationship he was in at the time. "It was just up and down; by the end of it I wrote a song since I felt I needed to get out of it," he remarked.
Many people paid Beverly honors on Wednesday.
With a caption "Let's celebrate the life and work of the great Frankie Beverly," singer John Legend uploaded a picture of Beverly on Instagram. Being an artist appeals to me because our creations create legacy that transcends our lifetime on this planet. Frankie has bestowed upon the planet such delight. His songs will continue to live. It will always be a part of our society, a necessary component of the background music for family get-togethers, cookouts, and holidays. I hope he rest well.