Maze a 70's soul and RnB band made heads turn by their honest no frills live shows and classically style albums with roots in Philadelphia soul. A project by respected soul performer Frankie Beverley, Maze even went on lengthy club tours across North America and England. The band was an overnight success when it became the opening act for Marvin Gaye. The Philadelphia soul sound was blended with RnB and funky music styles. Seven of their eight albums were certified gold in the US. They also scored two no.1 albums on the RnB Billboard charts.

Maze: Philly Soul

"We don't have bombs exploding onstage and fireworks going off, ... We simply come out and we try to jump all over you with our music." Frankie Beverley (founder-Maze)

Frankie Beverley Soul

Maze a 70's soul and RnB band made heads turn by their honest no frills live shows and classically style albums with roots in Philadelphia soul. A project by respected soul performer Frankie Beverley, Maze even went on lengthy club tours across North America and England. The band was an overnight success when it became the opening act for Marvin Gaye. The Philadelphia soul sound was blended with RnB and funky music styles. Seven of their eight albums were certified gold in the US. They also scored two no.1 albums on the RnB Billboard charts.

Relentless touring in the last 20 years of ensured a dedicated fan following. Frankie Beverly has always maintained that the live shows are about the music and not about any kind of showmanship. Since their existence in 1976, there have been several line-up changes and a steady stream of talent have toured and recorded music for Maze. The band will always be remembered for their quite storm format which is defined by late night slow jamming that included elements of jazz

The History

Maze is always recognized as a project for soul singer Frankie Beverley. Beverley is a Philly native and his roots were gospel music. He used to sing gospel music in churches all across the city. As a twelve year old he toured with do-wop and RnB four piece band The Silhouettes. Though a disputed fact from the bands associates. Frankie Beverley was always one step ahead of the curve, his music was always a more progressive style of Philly soul and his signature on stage style which was an all-white casual wear outfit gave him a lot of the street credit.

Frankie started the band Raw Soul, which predominantly toured jazz and RnB clubs in the south. Frankie happens to meet legendary singer Marvin Gaye. Gaye provided a lot of creative direction to Frankie Beverley. He even asked them to change their name Raw Soul.

The Group Rising

Marvin Gaye's influence on the band its leader cannot be ignored. It was Gaye who even introduced them to Capitol Records. As the band started recording in San Francisco, Frankie Beverley started calling the band Maze. In 1977 they released their debut album "Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly". The album broke into the top 100 in a year dominated by disco and punk. It spawned to hit singles "Lady of Magic" and "Workin' Together". But it was the single "While I am Alone" which got the widespread acclaim. The band went on a club tour to promote the album returning to Beverley home city of Philadelphia as well.

The tour was very successful and the band was energized and went directly into the studio to record their follow-up titled "Golden Time of Day" in 1979 and "Joy and Pain" in 1980. Both the albums were smash hits and certified Gold albums in the US. They also had hit singles like "Travelin' Man" and "I wish you well". The band went on a tour of slightly bigger clubs and theaters. The touring culminated into a live album which by many is considered their greatest. The album "Live in New Orleans" was released in 1981. It was recorded at famed Saenger Theater. The band was in perfect form and the jamming was both improvised and very direct. They performed all the hit songs from the previous album. The album was their fifth consecutive to receive gold certification

The Eighties

In '83 the band retuned with a strong album We are One", it featured singles "Never Let You Down", "I Love You Too Much" and "Love is the Key. The band was gaining new ground by changing the arrangements of their typical album style. Even though it was not a gold certified album, it nevertheless cemented their place.

After a two year gap which saw touring and line-up changes, the band recorded 'Can't stop the Love". The record was considered a return to form and it also gave them their 7^th Gold certification. A live retrospective album " Live in LA" was released which was a hit.

In 1989 they signed with Warner music and released "Silky Soul"; considered as one of their best ever records. It quickly moved to Gold status. They toured England and it released a live DVD called Live in London. The DVD was filmed while the band were playing a sold out show at the legendary Hammersmith Odeon arena

The "Back to Basics" was their last album release and it was their seventh gold certified album.

• Frankie Beverley explored name is like Karma and Charisma before settling on Maze
• Frankie Beverley's son plays drums in Maze
• In October 2004 the Maze song "Twilight" appeared in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,

• Unlimited Music Access
• Music File Sharing
• Country Based Radio Channels
• Easy, Fast and Safe!
• 100% Free!