Maze

Blending the essence of Philadelphia soul with deep admiration for Marvin Gaye, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly ranked among the foremost R&B ensembles throughout the final years of the 1970s and the ensuing decade. This distinctive ensemble, fronted by its magnetic vocalist, founder, producer, and chief songwriter Beverly, registered limited crossover success yet built an enduring stronghold among soul and urban contemporary listeners while achieving six or seven gold albums. Born Howard Beverly on December 6, 1946, in Philadelphia, PA, the artist adopted the name Frankie after encountering Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers in 1956 at age nine; prior gospel singing in church gave way to secular ambitions once Lymon revealed the possibilities of popular performance, though that gospel foundation continued to inform his approach even into his forties and fifties.

At twelve he entered the Philly doo-wop outfit the Silhouettes, whose hit “Get a Job” had already made its mark, and toured with them in 1959. In the early 1960s he assembled the short-lived doo-wop and soul vocal group the Blenders; after its dissolution, the seventeen-year-old Beverly launched the Butlers in 1963, a Northern-soul-styled vocal act that issued several singles such as “The Sun’s Message” and “She Tried to Kiss Me” on modest Philadelphia imprints including Fairmount, Liberty Bell, and Guyden, as well as on Gamble Records, the small label bearing the name of producer and songwriter Kenny Gamble. By 1970 Beverly had assembled the unit that would evolve into Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly, initially operating under the name Raw Soul. In that guise the group cut three singles for the local Gregar label in the early 1970s, one a reading of bluesman Taj Mahal’s “Today May Not Be Your Day.”

Although Philadelphia-born and raised, Beverly later stated he never regarded himself as an adherent of the Philly sound; while his band absorbed certain local influences, it aligned neither with the Gamble & Huff–Philadelphia International orbit nor with the Thom Bell–Linda Creed school exemplified by the Delfonics, the Moments, and the Stylistics. Instead, Raw Soul drew equally from Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers alongside any Philadelphia soul figures of the 1960s or 1970s. Sensing a disconnect with his native city, Beverly relocated Raw Soul to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971. After years performing on the San Francisco and Oakland circuit, the band caught the ear of Beverly’s idol, Marvin Gaye, whose endorsement secured a Capitol Records contract in 1976. Gaye also urged a name change; after weighing alternatives such as Karma and Charisma, the group settled on Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly that same year, avoiding conflict with an unrelated Los Angeles–based funk and jazz act already using the name Karma on A&M.

Capitol issued the self-titled debut album in 1977, featuring the hits “Happy Feelin’s,” “While I’m Alone,” and “Lady of Magic”; the set earned gold status and cemented a fiercely loyal audience. The 1977 roster included Beverly on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Wayne Thomas on lead guitar, Sam Porter on keyboards, Ronald “Roame” Loary and McKinley “Bug” Williams on percussion and background vocals, and Joe Provost on drums. Provost departed in 1978, replaced by Ahaguna G. Sun, previously of the little-known soul and funk group Sunbear; Sun later gave way to Billy “Shoes” Johnson. Additional shifts followed, among them the 1980 arrival of keyboardist Phillip Woo from Roy Ayers’ band Ubiquity and the substitution of Ron Smith for Thomas on guitar. Throughout these changes, Maze remained an expression of Beverly’s singular vision, much as George Clinton shaped Parliament/Funkadelic.

The second album, Golden Time of Day, arrived in 1978 and yielded the number-nine R&B single “Workin’ Together,” also attaining gold certification. Subsequent gold releases included 1979’s Inspiration and 1980’s Joy and Pain, the latter spotlighting the major hit “Southern Girl.” By the late 1970s Maze had earned acclaim for delivering one of R&B’s premier live experiences, documented on the 1981 double album Live in New Orleans. A second live double set, Live in Los Angeles, followed in 1986, the year after the funky “Back in Stride” topped Billboard’s R&B singles chart and became the band’s biggest success.

Maze moved to Warner Bros. in 1989 and delivered Silky Soul, whose title track paid tribute to Marvin Gaye and scored a substantial hit. Around this period the group’s catalog attracted extensive sampling from hip-hop artists. In 1988 rapper Rob Base borrowed the chorus of “Joy and Pain” for a single of the same name without authorization, prompting Beverly to consider legal recourse. While the 1990s brought fewer chart entries, Maze’s concerts continued to draw fervent support from a dedicated following. Frankie Beverly died on September 10, 2024, at the age of 77.