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"You would never tell a group today that this should be your blueprint for success, because it never made sense.Wondering how to book Maze feat. "When you look at this trajectory of Frankie Beverly and Maze, there's really no explanation for it," Neal said. The concerts become secular church as attendants sway with hands raised, eyes closed, and sing "happy feelings in the air/touching people everywhere." Often the crowd takes over the song, especially on "Joy and Pain." He isn't particularly chatty onstage, but he's warm, like a cool uncle or a friendly neighbor welcoming you into his backyard for a soulful party. Over the years, Beverly has given few interviews.
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Afterward, as record companies devoted resources to black acts who absorbed or flirted with hip-hop, Maze stopped releasing new music.Īlthough some retro or nostalgia acts of the '70s have cashed in through tell-all books or TV specials, Maze doesn't have any "Behind the Music"-like tales of drugs and sour business deals. The follow-up, "Back to Basics," appeared in 1993. Records and released "Silky Soul," which topped Billboard's R&B albums chart. In 1989, after more than a decade with Capitol, Maze signed with Warner Bros. So for Frankie Beverly and Maze, once you've had consistent success that way, there was never a reason to chase a pop audience." Plus, a lot of record companies had black music divisions that worked like a totally different operation. "The music never crossed over to a white audience and stayed with black folks and black radio. "This is a time between Stevie Wonder's 'Innervisions' and Michael Jackson's 'Thriller,' " Neal said. Nine subsequent releases repeated its success, spawning hits like "Joy and Pain," "Southern Girl," "Back in Stride" and others that were bought almost exclusively by a black working class and middle class audience. Before the close of the year, the debut went gold. Maze also made an appearance on "Soul Train" soon after the record dropped. With limited marketing from Capitol, the album became a Top 10 R&B hit largely through word of mouth and with some support from Quiet Storm stations, a new '70s radio format. In fact, nothing on it echoed what was heard on urban radio - none of Parliament's cartoonish funk and none of the Commodores' pop-glossed R&B. In 1976, Gaye helped Maze secure a contract with Capitol Records, a company with limited reach in the soul field save for its new sensation, Natalie Cole, whom Capitol marketed as a crossover act.īut there was nothing "pop" about Maze's self-titled debut. The Motown legend had caught one of its performances and took the band under his wing. About five years later, Raw Soul changed its name to Maze at the suggestion of Marvin Gaye. Influenced by early Isley Brothers and Sly and the Family Stone, the formula was locked.Īnd it thrived in the Bay Area, where the band relocated in 1971. His feel-good music was unadorned, just the rhythm section and Beverly's expressive, rangy baritone. Philly Soul was king, but Beverly absorbed none of the style's lushness. Even then, the band's sound countered the trends in black pop, and his hometown. Beverly, a Philadelphia native, started the group in 1970 as Raw Soul. Rewind to the group's beginnings, and Maze was a scruffy band playing clubs in and around San Francisco. A trim Beverly sported his signature fitted jeans and baseball cap, and the music radiated the down-to-earth romance and black cultural nationalism the group has extolled for 40 years. Sandwiched between over-the-top performances by pop stars Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj, Maze and Beverly took the stage and were enthusiastically received, despite the fact that 65-year-old Beverly wasn't in his best voice.īut everything else about the band remained unchanged.
