Song of the Day 9/13: Frankie Beverly and Maze, “Before I Let Go”

Soul singer Frankie Beverly, who died this week at 77, wasn’t well known to white audiences. He and his band Maze didn’t hit their commercial stride until the late ’70s, after the disco craze had died down. Beverly’s brand of smooth, funk-seasoned soul never crossed over to the mainstream – he never had a Top 40 hit. But he was no stranger to the R&B charts, where he placed 15 singles in the Top 20, including two No. 1s.

Beverly started out in his native Philadelphia, but he didn’t find much success until he moved his band, then called Raw Soul, to San Francisco in 1971. Marvin Gaye caught their act and brought the band on tour with him, which led to a recording contract. Gaye was the one who suggested they change their name. They did in 1976, but throughout their history Beverly wrote all their songs and produced their recordings, leading to them being billed variously as Frankie Beverly and Maze and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.

Though their musical styles are nothing alike, Maze has been compared to the Grateful Dead because it had a large cult following for its live shows despite relatively modest record sales. Beverly released no new material after 1993, but he continued touring until earlier this year. He was particularly popular in New Orleans, where he performed regularly.

Several of his songs are considered classics, particularly this one, a summer anthem that was covered by Beyonce a few years back. It was released in 1981 on their “Live in New Orleans” LP.

This was his first No. 1 R&B hit, from the 1985 album “Can’t Stop the Love.”

I expect to hear a lot of Maze music on WXPN’s Funky Friday show later today.