The band can be considered as the project of former The Butlers, and
later Raw Soul, member Frankie Beverly; 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. But 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)
- Video
-
Comments
You must login to comment.