🕊️Eulogy for Frankie Beverly

A legacy of love through music.

Ephesians 5:19 - “…singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.”

My father, who was a DJ and record shop owner, introduced me to Frankie Beverly and Maze at a very young age. Having over a thousand records, I will never forget the day I got my hands on my father’s 1985 album “Can’t Stop the Love.” There was a song on that album, “Back in Stride Again,” that I would play on repeat, belting out my favorite part, “I’ve been going through some funky changes!”

My admiration for Frankie Beverly and Maze was solidified the first time my father took me to the Hampton Jazz Festival, where they were performing live. That night changed my life, and at the age of 10 years old, I was a self-proclaimed Maze-aholic, attending concerts on the front row every chance I could and putting on concerts for my family even into adulthood— from the countless times my college roommates acted like band members playing air instruments to the Live in London DVD in our living room, singing at my wedding reception and even performing with family at my father’s 80^th birthday party!

My father raised me to love Frankie’s music, and I had the chance to share that love with my soon-to-be 13-year-old son. The first time I took him to a conference, my son danced more than me, leaving me in awe that my love for this music was transferred to him. It was amazing to see.

As life progressed, my circle of friends overlapped with Frankie’s professional circle in a natural way, allowing me the inside scoop on concert dates and backstage access. One such opportunity happened last year when, after dancing the night away and belting out all of the hits, I shared with Frankie backstage how much his music impacted my life. And though that night was amazing, I knew it would be my last time seeing him.

Just earlier this year at the 2024 Essence Festival, Frankie told the crowd, “I’m going to make you proud.” I sat in wonder, thinking, what else could he do to make us prouder of him than we already are? What more can a man who has given us the best of himself give? His last. Touring up to his final days of life, Frankie gave us what he had left. He gave us the best and the rest, giving us the chance to say goodbye—everything we needed to be proud of him.

The truth is, we never went to a Frankie Beverly and Maze concert to hear Frankie sing. We paid our money to sing to him and Maze. We owed that to him. We had to get dressed up in all white to make sure he heard our resounding “Thank you!” Thank you for giving us the song to dance to when love was in the air. Thank you for giving us the words to say when social woes raised questions. Thank you for singing us a song for every aspect of our lives.

Frankie was a lyrical genius. He was given the gift of telling the story of the human experience with the support of melody. He told us, “Love can be bitter, love can be sweet, sometimes devotion, sometimes deceit, Joy and Pain.” If we look at all the albums Frankie Beverly and Maze produced, every one of them either had a song that had the word love in it or an expression of love. Frankie was trying to tell us, “Why must it be so hard to give each other things we need? Deep in my heart, I know it’s not the way that we should be. We need Love to Live.”

Love was Frankie’s superpower. He knew what love was, what it should feel like, and how it should be. We must never forget how he turned a bitter breakup moment into a cultural anthem. His love makes even a breakup feel good. You do know that Before I Let Go is a breakup song? Only a person who has so much love to give can make the world feel love when they are losing it.

With an anthology dating back close to 50 years, we tracked Frankie Beverly and Maze down in every town to hear and sing those same songs again and again. I did. His concerts were infectious, and you never wanted them to end. A Maze concert was always done with precision and excellence. But the way Frankie sang his songs was mesmerizing. It was as if the lyric’s ink was still wet on the paper, and the emotions were still raw. You could tell he felt every word and meant them, too. He lived in the melody and invited us to live and dance there with him.  

I have seen Frankie Beverly in concert more than I am old—I am 42. Someone asked me which one of his songs was my favorite. I had to pause. Once I thought about it, I responded, “It depends.” It would depend on the day, the moment, and what was happening in my life. I love all his songs, but I do have a preference for how I listen to Frankie Beverly and Maze.

I will take a Maze song sung live over a studio recording any day. I do not have a favorite song but a favorite way to listen to Frankie Beverly: LIVE. If I am going to listen to Frankie Beverly and Maze, I want to hear them live. I want to feel that feeling. Frankie did, too. It was evident that Frankie wanted to feel that feeling and feel us feeling it, too.

Then I thought. I wonder if Frankie had a favorite of all his songs. I find it hard to believe that he did. I say that because all his songs have the same undertone. If you listen closely, you will hear how Frankie, in his unique way, found many ways to say, “I love you,” and added his music. For Frankie, Love is the Key. And those of us who listened to his music saw and felt our moods change; our lives were lifted, and we became that love when we heard his music.

We all know the culturally iconic song Before I Let Go. It will go down in history as one of the greatest songs ever. Not for its mind-blowing lyrics, although good, but for what the song does to all who hear it. The song does something to us—every time we listen to it. There are only a few songs like that in life. But I think there is more to that song than meets the ear.

I believe “Before I Let Go” was how Frankie broke up with the crowd at every concert. Frankie figured out what the love of his life was, his music, and his fans. It was hard breaking up every night, going from one city to the next. Frankie wanted to ensure he was right before letting his fans go. I can remember my early years of going to see Frankie, and he would end each show with Before I Let Go, and if he came back for an encore, he would sing I Wanna Thank You. Ending his concert felt like a breakup that nobody wanted. He did not want it to end, nor did we, but at some point, we all knew the curtain would close.

Frankie had one last assignment: to tell us all goodbye. After hanging up his hat for the last time in retirement, Frankie left us. Before he left us, he traveled around the world to say goodbye to the people he loved and who loved him back through his final tour titled “I Wanna Thank You.” Thank you for letting us say goodbye, Frankie. We Are One!

What memories do you have about Frankie Beverly?