Maze (band)
Encyclopedia
Maze a soul
/ quiet storm
band
, also known alternately as Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Frankie Beverly and Maze, was established in San Francisco, California
in the early 1970s.
being songwriter
, record producer
, arranger
, singer, keyboardist
and guitarist
.
The Philadelphia born Beverly started the group as Raw Soul in 1970. They recorded a couple of singles
on the small Gregar label
, but without any major hits
. With a few personnel changes, a relocation from Philadelphia to the San Francisco Bay Area
in California in 1971, and an introduction to Marvin Gaye
, the group became an immediate success. Gaye took the group on the road with him as one of his opening acts, and in 1976, he suggested that they changed their name from Raw Soul to Maze.
Maze signed a recording contract
with Capitol Records
in 1976, and released their debut album
, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, in 1977. From that album, the hit singles included "Happy Feelin's", "While I'm Alone", and "Lady of Magic", ultimately giving them their first gold record
and earning Maze a devoted fan base. They also had success with the following albums Golden Time of Day (1978), Inspiration (1979) and Joy and Pain (1980).
Their next recording
was Live in New Orleans, three quarters of which was recorded at the Saenger Theatre, on November 14–15, 1980. Three of those songs got into the US
R&B
chart
, including "Running Away", "Before I Let Go", and "We Need Love To Live". By that time, the band had both a reputation in America
and also enjoyed a following in the United Kingdom
with promotional support from the British
DJ
Robbie Vincent
. In May 1985, Maze sold out eight nights at the Hammersmith Odeon.
The group released Can't Stop the Love in March 1985, which featured the group's first number one R&B hit "Back In Stride". The Top 5 follow-up, "Too Many Games", was part of that recording.
In 1989, they signed with Warner Bros. and released the hit album Silky Soul, plus Back to Basics in 1993, and released the live
DVD
recording at London
's Hammersmith Odeon in 1994. The two albums also attained gold disc status. They had another number one R&B success with "Can't Get Over You".
In October 2004, "Twilight" appeared in the video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
, playing on funk radio station, Bounce FM .
In 2009, a tribute to the hits of Maze was released to great critical praise. Called "Silky Soul Music: An All Star Tribute to Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly," it included many modern stars performing Maze's biggest hits with Maze acting as the backing band.
Sadly, on September 2nd, 2011 percussionist and background singer for Maze, McKinley "Bug" Williams died of an apparent heart attack at a hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Maze continues to tour around the United States as well as Europe
to this day. Every year. they are the closing act for the Essence Music Festival
.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
/ quiet storm
Quiet storm
Quiet storm is a late-night radio format, featuring soulful slow jams, pioneered in the mid-1970s by then-station-intern Melvin Lindsey at WHUR-FM, in Washington, D.C. Smokey Robinson's like-titled hit single, released in 1975 as the title track to his third solo album, lent its name to the format...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, also known alternately as Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Frankie Beverly and Maze, was established in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the early 1970s.
Career
The band can be considered as the project formerly known as The Butlers, and later Raw Soul, with member Frankie BeverlyFrankie Beverly
Frankie Beverly is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band, Maze.-Early life and career:...
being songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, singer, keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
The Philadelphia born Beverly started the group as Raw Soul in 1970. They recorded a couple of singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on the small Gregar label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, but without any major hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
. With a few personnel changes, a relocation from Philadelphia to the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
in California in 1971, and an introduction to Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, the group became an immediate success. Gaye took the group on the road with him as one of his opening acts, and in 1976, he suggested that they changed their name from Raw Soul to Maze.
Maze signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in 1976, and released their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, in 1977. From that album, the hit singles included "Happy Feelin's", "While I'm Alone", and "Lady of Magic", ultimately giving them their first gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
and earning Maze a devoted fan base. They also had success with the following albums Golden Time of Day (1978), Inspiration (1979) and Joy and Pain (1980).
Their next recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
was Live in New Orleans, three quarters of which was recorded at the Saenger Theatre, on November 14–15, 1980. Three of those songs got into the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, including "Running Away", "Before I Let Go", and "We Need Love To Live". By that time, the band had both a reputation in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and also enjoyed a following in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with promotional support from the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Robbie Vincent
Robbie Vincent
Robbie Vincent is an English radio broadcaster and DJ whose catch phrase for many years was "If it moves, Funk it"He started life as a journalist although Robbie Vincent's broadcasting career began as one of the pioneers on BBC Radio London in early 1974 during the miners' strike and Three-day week...
. In May 1985, Maze sold out eight nights at the Hammersmith Odeon.
The group released Can't Stop the Love in March 1985, which featured the group's first number one R&B hit "Back In Stride". The Top 5 follow-up, "Too Many Games", was part of that recording.
In 1989, they signed with Warner Bros. and released the hit album Silky Soul, plus Back to Basics in 1993, and released the live
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
recording at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Hammersmith Odeon in 1994. The two albums also attained gold disc status. They had another number one R&B success with "Can't Get Over You".
In October 2004, "Twilight" appeared in the video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
, playing on funk radio station, Bounce FM .
In 2009, a tribute to the hits of Maze was released to great critical praise. Called "Silky Soul Music: An All Star Tribute to Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly," it included many modern stars performing Maze's biggest hits with Maze acting as the backing band.
Sadly, on September 2nd, 2011 percussionist and background singer for Maze, McKinley "Bug" Williams died of an apparent heart attack at a hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Maze continues to tour around the United States as well as Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to this day. Every year. they are the closing act for the Essence Music Festival
Essence Music Festival
Essence Music Festival is an annual music festival celebrating contemporary African American music and culture. It is the largest event celebrating African American culture and music in the United States. It has been held in New Orleans, Louisiana every year since 1995 except for 2006, where it...
.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions |
US certifications |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
UK | ||||
| 1977 | Maze featuring Frankie Beverly Maze featuring Frankie Beverly (album) Signed to a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1976, Maze would release their debut album, "Maze featuring Frankie Beverly" in 1977. From that album Maze would earn a devoted fan base with classic tracks "Happy Feelin's", "While I'm Alone", and "Lady of Magic" ultimately giving them their... |
52 | 6 | — | Gold | Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
| 1978 | Golden Time of Day Golden Time of Day -Track listing:All Songs Written by Frankie Beverly#Travelin' Man 5:06 #Song For My Mother 5:02 #You're Not The Same 5:13 #Workin' Together 5:30 #Golden Time Of Day 5:30 #I Wish You Well 4:37 #I Need You 10:00-Charts:-Singles:... |
27 | 9 | — | Gold | |
| 1979 | Inspiration Inspiration (Maze album) -Track listing:All Songs Written by Frankie Beverly#Lovely Inspiration 5:08 #Feel That You're Feelin' 5:33 #Call On Me 5:42 #Timin' 5:02 #Welcome Home 5:08 #Woman Is A Wonder 7:20 #Lovely Inspiration 1:56-Charts:-Singles:... |
33 | 5 | — | Gold | |
| 1980 | Joy and Pain Joy and Pain Joy and Pain is the fourth album by Bay Area-based R&B group Maze, released in 1980 on Capitol Records. A version of the title track by Donna Allen made the top 10 in the UK in 1989.-Track listing:All Songs Written by Frankie Beverly... |
31 | 5 | — | Gold | |
| 1983 | We Are One We Are One (Maze album) -Track listing:All Songs Written by Frankie Beverly#Love Is the Key 4:26 #Right on Time 5:59 #Your Own Kind of Way 5:13 #I Wanna Thank You 5:26 #We Are One 6:30 #Never Let You Down 5:21 #I Love You Too Much 6:13#Metropolis 0:43-Charts:... |
25 | 5 | 38 | Gold | |
| 1985 | Can't Stop the Love Can't Stop the Love -Track listing:All Songs Written by Frankie Beverly#Back in Stride 7:02 #Can't Stop the Love 7:09 #Reachin' Down Inside 5:22 #Too Many Games 4:56 #I Want to Feel I'm Wanted 5:42 #Magic 4:42 #A Place in My Heart 4:50-Charts:-Singles:... |
45 | 1 | 41 | Gold | |
| 1989 | Silky Soul Silky Soul -Track listing:All Songs Written by Frankie Beverly#Silky Soul 6:44 #Can't Get Over You 5:23 #Just Us 7:39 #Somebody Else's Arms 5:53 #Love's on the Run 5:34 #Change Our Ways 5:15 #Songs of Love 6:14#Mandela 6:36-Charts:-Singles:... |
37 | 1 | 43 | Gold | Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies... |
| 1993 | Back to Basics Back to Basics (Maze album) -Track listing:All Songs Written by Frankie Beverly#Nobody Knows What You Feel Inside 5:36 #Love Is 5:38 #The Morning After 5:38 #Laid Back Girl 5:30 #What Goes Up 6:11 #In Time 6:05 #All Night Long 5:25#Don't Wanna Lose Your Love 5:44... |
37 | 3 | — | Gold | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
Live albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions |
US certifications |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
UK | ||||
| 1981 | Live in New Orleans Live in New Orleans -Track listing:*All Songs Written by Frankie Beverly*Running Away , Before I Let Go, We Need Love To Live and Reason are Studio Tracks.#Introduction 0:30 #You 5:54 #Changing Times 5:11 #Joy And Pain 9:45 #Happy Feelin's 5:28 #Southern Girl 6:22... |
34 | 3 | — | Gold | Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
| 1986 | Live in Los Angeles | 92 | 12 | 70 | — | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions |
US certifications |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
|||||
| 1989 | The Greatest Hits of Maze...Lifelines, Vol. 1 | — | 57 | — | Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
|
| 1996 | Anthology | — | 57 | Gold | The Right Stuff The Right Stuff Records The Right Stuff Records is a reissue record label owned by the EMI Group based out of Woodland Hills, California.The label primarily reissues classic soul and vintage R&B material through greatest hits collections, anthologies, boxed sets and compilations... |
|
| 1998 | Greatest Slow Jams | — | — | — | ||
| 2004 | Greatest Hits | — | 79 | — | ||
| 2011 | Greatest Hits | — | — | — | Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
|
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||||
| 1977 | "While I'm Alone" | 89 | 21 | — | ||
| "Lady of Magic" | 108 | 13 | — | |||
| 1978 | "Workin' Together" | — | 9 | — | ||
| "Golden Time of Day" (A-side) | — | 39 | — | |||
| "Travelin' Man" (B-side) | — | — | ||||
| "I Wish You Well" | — | 61 | — | |||
| 1979 | "Feel That You're Feelin'" | 67 | 7 | — | ||
| "Timin'" | — | 55 | — | |||
| 1980 | "Southern Girl" | — | 9 | — | ||
| "The Look in Your Eyes" | — | 29 | — | |||
| 1981 | "Running Away" | — | 7 | — | ||
| "Before I Let You Go" | — | 13 | — | |||
| 1982 | "We Need Love to Live" | — | 29 | — | ||
| 1983 | "Love Is the Key" | 80 | 5 | 88 | ||
| "Never Let You Down" | — | 26 | — | |||
| "We Are One" | — | 47 | 86 | |||
| "I Wanna Thank You" | — | 59 | — | |||
| 1985 | "Back in Stride Back in Stride Back In Stride is a 1985 single by Philadelphia based R&B group Maze. As with all of Maze's releases, the song vocals were performed by Frankie Beverly. The mid tempo single was at the number one spot on the soul singles, for two weeks and reached eighty-eight on the Hot 100, in the spring of 1985.... " |
88 | 1 | 79 | ||
| "Too Many Games" | 103 | 5 | 36 | |||
| "I Want to Feel I'm Wanted" | — | 28 | — | |||
| 1986 | "I Wanna Be with You" | — | 12 | 55 | ||
| "When You Love Someone" | — | 38 | — | |||
| 1989 | "Joy and Pain" | — | — | 57 | ||
| "Can't Get Over You Can't Get Over You "Can't Get Over You" is a 1989 single by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. The single was the first release the group had in almost three years, as well as being their debut release on the Warner Bros. Records label. "Can't Get Over You" was the group's second and final number one on the Hot Black... " |
— | 1 | 89 | |||
| "Silky Soul" | — | 4 | — | |||
| 1990 | "Love's on the Run" | — | 13 | — | ||
| "Songs of Love" | — | 37 | — | |||
| 1993 | "Laid Back Girl" | — | 15 | — | ||
| "The Morning After" | 115 | 19 | — | |||
| 1994 | "What Goes Up" | — | 32 | — | ||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | ||||||
Videos
- Live in New Orleans (1981)
- Live in Los Angeles (1986)
- Live in London (1994)
External links
- Maze official website