Frankie Beverly: smooth soul singer still has amazing appeal after more than 30 years

Jet, July 11, 2005 by Clarence Waldron

What's most amazing about Maze featuring Frankie Beverly is that the group can sell out any concert hall in the country without a hit record.

This group has built an intensely loyal following of fans who rush out to buy tickets the moment they hear Frankie Beverly is coming to town. They don't care if there is a new record out or not, they have to be there. All they know is when Frankie Beverly and Maze walk out on that stage, they are headed for a soulful, laid-back evening of song. They know they will be well-entertained. And that's how it's been for more than 30 years.

JET caught up with Beverly during a break in the group's sold-out tour and asked for the secret to the band's amazing appeal. The veteran soul man also talked about everything from why he's taking his time releasing a new album, what inspired his early songs, the woman in his life, how being a grandfather has changed him, and also revealed that 'Frankie' is not his real name.

"We have the most loyal fans," he says of the group's lasting appeal. "They are regular folk who know what they want and they love what we do. They know we don't play around. We don't have bombs exploding onstage and fireworks going off-we never did that. We simply come out and we try to jump all over you with our music, and I think people appreciate that. They don't c are much about no thing else. They stick with us no matter what album, or no album, night, day, whoever else is on the show with us, it doesn't matter. Our people know what they are going to get with us, and they are there. We're not going to play around, and for the grace of God, that's what happens every night. We've made it this far because we love and respect ourselves and our fans."

Maze featuring Frankie Beverly arrived on the scene in 1977 with the hit singles Happy Feelings, Lady of Magic and While I'm Alone, from the debut self-titled album. A string of hits followed, including We Are One, Golden Time of Day, Southern Girl, Running Away, Back in Stride, Can't Get Over You, Too Many Games, Before I Let You Go, Silky Soul (a tribute to Marvin Gaye) and the all-time favorite, Joy and Pain. They haven't recorded since the 1993 hit album Back to Basics that featured The Morning After and Laid Back Girl.

The group performs all of its soul classics in concerts that generally last about two hours. "Some of the veterans, like Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke, always said 'Don't make your show too long; try to find the sweet spot.' I think I've learned how to do that. We work so hard at this, you can see we're not playing."

Beverly notes that the quality of his music is also key to the group's ability to headline sold-out concert tours around the world.

"The bottom line is that the people are still there because you can't stop the love. I believe in the power of love, that's one of the reasons we're still here. People are not going to just let good quality music go. People want to hear good music, good lyrics, romance-those things are a part of who we are."

His fans won't forgive him if he does not sing his signature hit, Joy and Pain. He reveals that he wrote the tune after reading philosopher Khalil Gibran's The Prophet. "He has a chapter in there called 'Joy and Sorrow,' and that's what inspired that song. That touched me," he explains. "Things like that really touch me, that's real stuff. How are you going to have a mountain without valleys? How can you have flowers with just sunshine? It's just the way life is. How do you get to where you are without paying the dues you paid? Why are you so satisfied with where you are in life? Because you know what you put in, and that makes you feel good."

Beverly says he is an artist and wants to take his time to record the quality music that his audiences expect from him. "It's nice to have new stuff out there and all that, but I am of the school that believes you don't come before you are ready to come. Because if an artist comes and drops two or three insignificant things on people, that changes the whole picture. People can accept one, maybe two, but if you start putting these filler albums, three or four of these things, it's going to change your career. I'd rather err on not coming than to take a chance on coming before I have it all together."

The group's much-anticipated album is slated for release next year. "We are working on something now. The material we have coming now is definitely Maze, but it is the older Maze. I even have a title for it, I'm going to call it Anticipation, because I know my fans have been anticipating this for a long time," he laughs.

He reveals that he also has taken his time recording because he had nodes on his vocal chords, a condition very common among singers. He had them removed about five years ago. "Guys who sing hard and passionate, belters, they get these things. It's not cancerous or anything like that," he explains.

"I think it is time for the public to get an idea of why I've taken so long recording, cause everybody's wondering. They have wondered so much as to worry at times. For a while people thought something was really, really wrong with me, so I want to clear that up. I am a better singer today, but because of these nodes, my tool has been compromised. Not to the point, where I can't sing, but psychologically, it has taken me five years to get the confidence to come back to the studio to record, because my voice has changed just a little bit from when I did the older songs. It is probably more bothersome to me than anybody else. But still I had to get over that psychological slump. But I am OK with it now. I'm from that old school that doesn't want to come up with excuses. I don't want people feeling sorry for me and all that kind of stuff. But everything's fine now, and the music is on its way," he assures.