Frankie Beverly & Maze

Frankie Beverly (born Howard Beverly, 5 December 1946, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a singer, founder, producer, and songwriter, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk unit, Maze.

Frankie Beverly started out singing gospel music in church as a schoolboy in Philadelphia. He has claimed that his first professional gig was a tour with The Silhouettes (famous for their 1958 hit Get A Job) when he was only twelve years old, but this is disputed by those associated with the group, whose members were never known to mention him while they were alive.[1]

As a teenager he formed The Blenders, a short-lived a cappella, doo-wop group that were influenced by The Dells, The Moonglows, and The Del Vikings. After that outfit dissolved, he founded The Butlers, which would be the first group he recorded with in 1963. As time passed, they caught the attention of the veteran producer Kenny Gamble, who eventually released recordings by the group.

It turned out that music performed by The Butlers did not fit into the "Philly Sound", and after some heavy touring, the group relocated to California. The unit was re-christened as Raw Soul and caught the attention of a sister-in-law to Marvin Gaye. He was so enamored by the act, he had them as an opening act at his shows. Gaye also convinced Beverly to have the band's name changed to Maze.