Maze

Led by charismatic frontman Frankie Berverly, Maze was born in Philadelphia in 1970. Born in the same city on December 6, 1946, the singer trained in church while listening to the doo-wop bands of the late 1950s. A member of The Silhouettes from the age of twelve, he went on to form The Blenders and The Butlers, which recorded for Kenny Gamble's label, before forming Raw Soul with new musicians, which later became Maze. From Philly soul, he moved into funk and smooth soul with the Gold Record-winning album Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly (1977). Despite frequent changes of musicians, the band was supported by a loyal audience who made every concert a celebration, as evidenced by the double album Live in New Orleans (1981), distilling on its four sides the classics aired on the studio recordings Golden Time of Day (1978), Inspiration (1979) and Joy and Pain (1980). The 1983 album We Are One saw Maze extend his synthetic funk style to contemporary R&B with equal success. This success continued to grow, with Can't Stop the Love (1985) and Silky Soul (1989) reaching the top of the R&B charts. A final studio recording, Back to Basics, followed in 1993, by which time the group was concentrating on the live scene, with a succession of compilations. The band was still active when Frankie Beverly died on September 10, 2024, at the age of 77.