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Frankie Beverly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frankie Beverly (born Howard Beverly, December 6, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an internationally acclaimed singer, founder, producer, and songwriter, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk unit, Maze.
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Before he went on tour with The Silhouettes, a popular doo wop group, the twelve-year old Beverly had previously sang gospel music in church. The Silhouettes had a hit entitled "Get a Job", which was the influence for the Smokey Robinson hit, "Got a Job". Many members of the group knew of him (as they lived in the same neighbourhood). When they lost their lead vocalist, they invited Beverly to join their group, which he toured with for a year or so.
Shortly afterwards, he formed The Blenders, a short-lived acapella, 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 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.
Although Beverly's first name from birth was Howard, he was so impressed by the music of Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, that he decided to change his first name to Frankie at the age of nine.