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Maze

 
Artist: Frankie Beverly
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Frankie Beverly

Similar Artists:

Aretha Franklin, Jody Watley, Miki Howard, Regina Belle, René & Angela

Worked With:

Robin Duhe, Roame Lowry, Ron Smith, McKinley Williams, John Nowland, Philip Woo, Sam Porter

Formal Connection With:

Mac Loving, Jr.
  • Born: December 06, 1946, Philadelphia, PA
  • Active: '80s, '90s, 2000s
  • Genres: Rhythm & Blues
  • Instrument: Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar

Biography

After eight lean years with the Butlers, Frankie Beverly changed directions. Self-contained bands were the vogue in the '70s, so after a series of misfires, Beverly disbanded the Butlers. As a kid, Beverly was fascinated by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers so much that he started using the name Frankie; his birth name is Howard. He was also influenced by Sly Stone. His first professional singing stint was a yearlong road tour with the Silhouettes ("Get a Job"); he formed the Blenders afterward but didn't record until the Butlers. He learned to play rhythm guitar and keyboards, and began Raw Soul with fellow Philadelphians Roame Lowry, McKinley Williams, and Sam Porter. Gigs were plentiful around Philly, but Beverly felt that California held the key; he relocated to the San Francisco/Oakland area in 1971. The addition of three members made Raw Soul a full-fledged funk band. Eldorado Records issued the first Raw Soul single, "Open up Your Heart," which features Temptations-ish ping-ponging leads, a Larry Graham sound-alike bass singer, and a Sly Stone/Noman Whitfield production. The label credits read Raw Soul With Frankie Beverly; two later singles on Gregor Records are credited as Frankie Beverly and Raw Soul. The Gregor singles, like the Eldorado side, dealt with curing the world's woes, dissolving social injustices, and ending bigotry and racism. "Color Blind" (1971) was sweetened with '70s funk horns, and asked the question: What color is harmony? Raw Soul's recordings sold regionally but never broke nationally; they did help to build a small following on the West Coast. Gregor followed "Color Blind" with "Understanding" b/w "People in the Know." Marvin Gaye gave them a big break when he picked them to back him on a tour and allowed them to open the show with some original numbers. Before meeting Gaye, they had no luck shopping a demo; after the tour, a meeting with Capitol Records' Larkin Arnold resulted in a recording deal. Beverly scrapped the Raw Soul concept for the smoother sounds of Maze, keeping the core members and bringing in others to complete the package. After years of trying, Beverly was selling singles and albums by the truckload. Incorporating the best elements from the Butlers and Raw Soul, Maze became a quiet storm and urban contemporary favorite. Message songs, nothing new to Frankie (check the Butlers' first single, "The Sun's Message"), continued with Maze, and heartfelt love songs were also a part of the agenda. Everything worked, and the caps he wore to hide his thinning hair and receding hairline became a trademark. The fact that Philadelphia International Records exploded just two years after he left town may have disheartened him initially, but his success was still phenomenal. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Maze (band)
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Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / California, Bay Area USA
Genres R&B
Soul
Years active 1976 – Present
Labels Capitol, Warner Bros.
Members
Frankie Beverly: Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
McKinley "Bug" Williams: Percussion, Backing Vocals
Roame Lowry: Congas, Backing Vocals
Carl Wheeler: Organ & Keys
Larry Kimpel: Bass Guitar
Vance Taylor: Keys
Jubu Smith: Guitar
Chris Johnson: Drums
Former members
Sam Porter
Robin Duhe
Wayne Thomas
Joe Provost
Ahaguna Sun
Ron Smith
Billy Johnson
Phillip Woo
Wayne "Ziggy" Lindsay
Vernon White
William Bryant
Michael White

Maze, a soul / quiet storm band also known alternately as Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Frankie Beverly and Maze, was established in San Francisco in the early 1970s.

Contents

Career

The band can more or less be considered as the project of former The Butlers, and later Raw Soul, member Frankie Beverly; being songwriter, record producer, arranger, singer, keyboardist and guitarist.

Philly-born Beverly started the group as Raw Soul in 1970. They merged R&B and funk fusion into their material and recorded a couple of singles on the small Gregar label but without any major hits or success. But with a few personnel changes, a major relocation from Philadelphia to the Bay Area (California) in 1971 and a milestone introduction to the legendary Marvin Gaye, the group became an immediate success overnight. Gaye also took the group on the road with him as one of his opening acts; helping to solidify their significance to the music world.

Marvin Gaye's role with the group also offered a new chapter in their career's formative years since he insisted that they changed their name from Raw Soul to Maze in 1976. The group also wrestled with other names like Karma and Charisma.

After Gaye was introduced to the group and later introducing them to Capitol Records' then-VP of black music Larkin Arnold, Maze signed a contract with Capitol Records in 1976, and released their debut album LP, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, in 1977. From that album, the hit singles included "Happy Feelin's," "While I'm Alone," and "Lady of Magic"; ultimately giving them their first gold record and earning Maze an immediate and extremely devoted fan base. They also had success with the following albums Golden Time of Day (1978), Inspiration (1979) and Joy and Pain (1980).

Their most acclaimed recording is Live in New Orleans (three quarters of which was recorded at the Saenger Theatre, on November 14-15, 1980). The last half of the double-disc record set featured four then-new studio offerings. Three of those songs sailed up the R&B charts, including the funky-infectious "Running Away," another groove-laden track "Before I Let Go," and the smooth ballad "We Need Love To Live." This landmark recording helped prove to audiences that Maze was far beyond from being just a studio recording group, but were considered by most music critics to be quintessential icons live in concert. By that time, the band had a reputation as one of the best live acts in American soul music, also enjoying a following in the United Kingdom with considerable promotional support from British DJ Robbie Vincent. In 1989, they signed with Warner Bros. and released the hit album Silky Soul, plus Back to Basics in 1993, and released the live DVD recording at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1994. The two albums cut with Warner Bros. have also gone gold.

The group hit it big in March 1985 with their LP Can't Stop The Love, featuring the group's first number one R&B smash hit "Back In Stride." Led by its funky electric keyboard struts and a pulsating rhythm, the song sat at number one for two consecutive weeks. The top 5 follow-up, "Too Many Games," is also featured.

After signing with Warner Bros, the group delivered yet another number one R&B hit with the lounge soul sounds of "Can't Get Over You." The song has become a staple in most Maze live concerts.

In October 2004 Twilight appeared in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on Funk radio station Bounce FM.

Frankie Beverly’s voice mixed with Maze’s laid-back, bass driven musical arrangements differ a lot from other soul acts. Their signature sound is especially vivid on the LP classic Live in New Orleans (1981).

Maze continues to tour around the United States as well as Europe to this day. Every year they are the also the closing act for the Essence Music Festival which is held annually.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Chart positions
[1][2][3]		 US
certifications[4]		 Record label
US US
R&B		 UK
1977 Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly 52 6 — Gold Capitol
1978 Golden Time of Day 27 9 — Gold
1979 Inspiration 33 5 — Gold
1980 Joy and Pain 31 5 — Gold
1983 We Are One 25 5 38 —
1985 Can't Stop the Love 45 1 41 Gold
1989 Silky Soul 37 1 43 Gold Warner Bros.
1993 Back to Basics 37 3 — Gold
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified

Compilation and Live albums

Year Album Chart positions
[1][2][3]		 US
certifications[4]		 Record label
US US
R&B		 UK
1981 Live in New Orleans 34 3 — Gold Capitol
1986 Live in Los Angeles — 12 70 —
1989 The Greatest Hits of Maze...Lifelines, Vol. 1 — 57 — —
1996 Anthology — 57 — Gold
1998 Greatest Slow Jams — — — —
2004 Greatest Hits — 79 — —
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified

Singles

Year Single Chart positions
[1][2][3]		 Album
US US
R&B		 UK
1977 "While I'm Alone" 89 21 — Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly
"Lady of Magic" — 13 —
1978 "Workin' Together" — 9 — Golden Time of Day
"Golden Time of Day" — 39 —
"Travelin' Man" — —
"I Wish You Well" — 61 —
1979 "Feel That You're Feelin'" 67 7 — Inspiration
"Timin'" — 55 —
1980 "Southern Girl" — 9 — Joy and Pain
"The Look in Your Eyes" — 29 —
1981 "Running Away" — 7 — Live in New Orleans
"Before I Let You Go" — 13 —
1982 "We Need Love to Live" — 29 —
1983 "Love Is the Key" 80 5 88 We Are One
"Never Let You Down" — 26 —
"We Are One" — 47 86
"I Wanna Thank You" — 59 —
1985 "Back in Stride" 88 1 79 Can't Stop the Love
"Too Many Games" — 5 36
"I Want to Feel I'm Wanted" — 28 —
1986 "I Wanna Be with You" — 12 55 Live in Los Angeles
"When You Love Someone" — 38 —
1989 "Joy and Pain" — — 57 Joy and Pain
"Can't Get Over You" — 1 89 Silky Soul
"Silky Soul" — 4 —
1990 "Love's on the Run" — 13 —
"Songs of Love" — 37 —
1993 "Laid Back Girl" — 15 — Back to Basics
"The Morning After" — 19 —
1994 "What Goes Up" — 32 —
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released

Videos

  • Live in New Orleans (1981)
  • Live in Los Angeles (1986)
  • Live in London (1994)

References

  1. ^ a b c "Maze US chart history". billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/maze/chart-history/5159. Retrieved 2009-10-11. 
  2. ^ a b c "Maze US chart history". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fifyxqe5ldfe~T5. Retrieved 2009-10-11. 
  3. ^ a b c "Maze UK chart history". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=3850. Retrieved 2009-10-11. 
  4. ^ a b "Maze US certification history". riaa.com. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Maze%20Featuring%20Frankie%20Beverly&format=Album&go=Search&perPage=25. Retrieved 2009-10-10. 

External links


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