R.I.P. Frankie Beverly, Maze frontman and "Before I Let Go" singer

Frankie Beverly—the legendary Philadelphia funk and soul singer who fronted the band Maze—has died. "He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better. He lived for his music, family and friends," his family posted in a social media statement announcing his death today. Beverly was 77. 

Born Howard Stanley Beverly in Philadelphia in 1946, Beverly started his music career singing gospel in his local church. He went on to found a short-lived a cappella group called The Blenders in his teens, before founding The Butlers in his hometown in 1963. The group eventually moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s, where they were renamed Raw Soul. It was in this iteration that the band caught the attention of soul legend Marvin Gaye, who invited them to open for him on a tour. Around this time, Gaye also convinced the group to change their name to Maze.

Maze was signed to Capitol Records in 1976, and released their first album, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly, the following year. The record yielded several hits such as "Happy Feelin's," "While I'm Alone," and "Lady of Magic," and was certified Gold later that year. The band would go on to release eight more Gold albums through 1996, including Golden Time Of Day, Can't Stop The Love, Silky Soul, Live In New Orleans, and more. Their hit singles over the years included songs like "Golden Time of Day," "Southern Girl," "The Look in Your Eyes," "Joy and Pain," "We Are One," and "Before I Let Go," which recently got a renewed boost in popularity after Beyoncé covered it as a bonus track on Homecoming: The Live Album in 2019.

"This is one of the high points of my life," Beverly said of hearing his "great friend" cover the song in a 2019 interview with Billboard. "I just thought it was a great little song, but I never thought it’d be all this. It really changed everything for me. It was a huge song at the time, and it’s one of those things this band will be able to carry on forever."