Frankie Beverly, the soul singer who founded “Before I Let Go†band Maze, died on September 10. He was 77. “He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better,†his family said in a statement on Instagram. “He lived for his music, family and friends.†Beverly first formed the group the Blenders as a teenager, and later, he started a new group called the Butlers. He soon moved that band from Philadelphia to San Francisco (to avoid confusion with Philadelphia Soul), renamed them Raw Soul, and met Marvin Gaye. Raw Soul opened for Gaye on tour, and by 1976, Gaye convinced Beverly to change the band’s name to Maze. Around that time, Maze signed to Capitol Records and released their first album, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly, in 1977. The band released seven more studio albums through the ’90s, including two R&B No. 1s. They also had two No. 1 R&B singles, 1985’s “Back in Stride†and 1989’s “Can’t Get Over You.â€
But Maze was best known for the 1981 single “Before I Let Go,†which the New York Times said “has become a unifying Black anthem and an unfailing source of joy.†Beyoncé even covered the song in 2019 as a bonus track on her Homecoming live album. Beverly told Billboard afterward, “This is one of the highlights of my life.â€