Frankie Beverly, the Maze singer who inspired generations of fans with lasting anthems, dies at 77

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Frankie Beverly, the Maze singer who inspired generations of fans with lasting anthems, dies at 77

2024-09-12 05:00 Last Updated At：05:14

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Frankie Beverly, who with his band Maze inspired generations of fans with his smooth, soulful voice and lasting anthems including “Before I Let Go,” has died. He was 77.

His family said in a post on the band's website and social media accounts that Beverly died Tuesday. In the post, which asked for privacy, the family said “he lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better.” The post did not say his cause of death or where he died.

Beverly, whose songs include “Joy and Pain,” “Love is the Key,” and “Southern Girl,” finished his farewell “I Wanna Thank You Tour” in his hometown of Philadelphia in July. That same month, the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans included a special tribute to Beverly and Maze, who closed out the event for its first 15 years. His performances at the festival — the nation’s largest annual celebration of Black culture — would turn the crowd into a sea of dancing fans, many wearing white clothing like Beverly himself often donned.

“Frankie Beverly’s artistry wasn’t just about sound; it was the very thread that stitched together our collective memories and moments of joy,” the festival's organizers said in a statement. “His melodies will forever echo in our hearts and continue to inspire.”

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League and a former mayor of New Orleans, said Maze's 1981 album “Live In New Orleans” cemented the city’s relationship with Beverly. Morial said he always sat in the front row for Maze’s closeout show at the festival and remembers turning around and seeing a crowd that was “joyful like a choir” singing all of the words with Beverly.

“His music had feeling. It had positive themes of love, happiness, family and togetherness,” Morial said. “It was just electrical and magical and it’s what made us fall in love with him.”

Howard Stanley Beverly, born Dec. 6, 1946 in Philadelphia, was so taken with the 1950s R&B group Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers that he changed his name to Frankie.

Maze started out in Philadelphia the early 1970s as Raw Soul before heading to the San Francisco Bay Area. It was Marvin Gaye who convinced him to change the band's name to Maze and, in 1977, helped them release their first album, “Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly.”

On the title track of his 1989 album “Silky Soul,” Beverly paid tribute to Gaye, remembering the singer who thrived on the romantic soul and protest songs that Maze was also known for.

“That kind of faith, you’re talking ’60s, hippie generation,” Beverly told The Associated Press in 1990. “It’s missing and I personally feel bad about that. We grew up in the ’60s — we’re ex-hippies.”

Among those mourning Beverly was Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who wrote on X: “His timeless music, his powerful words and his lasting impact. I’m devastated to hear about this one.”

New Orleans resident Sedrick T. Thomas, 64, a lifelong fan of Beverly and his music, said Beverly’s passing “leaves a chasm in the world of R&B.”

“I feel myself in mourning,” Thomas said. “Frankie was a great entertainer who made sure we, as fans, walked away with an incredible experience. I grew up on his music. I thank him for ‘Joy and Pain,’ for ‘Southern Girl,’ for ‘Happy Feelin’s, and for ‘Before I Let Go.’ I thank him for the time and energy he put into his performances. And though the music will live on, he will be greatly missed.”

Stengle reported from Dallas.

Central Europe flooding leaves 16 dead in Romania, Poland, Czech Republic and Austria

2024-09-17 14:54 Last Updated At：15:00

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Exceptionally heavy rainfall pounding Central Europe has prompted deadly flooding in the region, with four new deaths reported Monday in Poland, three in the Czech Republic and one in Romania.

The flooding has swamped parts of Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania as a low-pressure system crossing the region has unleashed record-high rains for days, and it was expected to affect Slovakia and Hungary later in the week. So far 16 people have been reported killed — seven people in Romania, five in Poland, three in the Czech Republic and one in Austria.

In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk held an emergency meeting and later declared a disaster in flooded areas, a government measure to facilitate evacuation and rescues. He also said the government would provide 1 billion zlotys ($260 million) in immediate payouts to victims.

The flooding in Poland has burst dams and embankments while receding waters left streets covered in piles of debris and mud. It prompted a hospital in the southwestern Polish city of Nysa to evacuate about 40 patients.

Schools and offices in the affected areas were closed Monday and drinking water and food were being delivered by trucks. Many Polish cities, including Warsaw, have called for food donations for flood survivors.

Experts warned of flood threats due to the cresting Oder River in Opole, a city of some 130,000 residents, and Wroclaw, home to about 640,000 residents and where disastrous flooding happened in 1997.

Firefighters in southwestern Poland said flood victims included a surgeon whose body was found Monday morning in Nysa after he returned from hospital duty. The bodies of two women and two other men have been found in other communities in the region.

Police in the Czech Republic said that a woman and two men drowned in the northeast, which has been pounded by record rainfall since Thursday. The woman was found in the water in the town of Krasov and the men were found dead at different locations after water receded in the town of Krnov which was almost completely submerged on Sunday

Romanian authorities said Monday that another person died in the eastern county of Galati, bringing the total number of deaths there to seven.

One death previously was reported in Austria.

Authorities in the Czech Republic declared an emergency in two northeastern regions, including in the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border.

A number of towns and cities had been submerged in the northeast, with thousands evacuated. Military helicopters joined rescuers on boats in efforts to transport people to safety. Waters were receding from the mountainous areas on Monday, leaving behind destroyed houses and bridges and damaged roads.

In most parts of the country, conditions were expected to improve later Monday.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited the town of Jesenik, one of the hardest hit places.

“The worst is behind us and now, we have to deal with all the damage,” Fiala said following the visit.

In Hungary, the mayor of Budapest warned residents that the largest floods in a decade were expected to hit the capital later in the week, with the waters of the Danube River set to breach the city’s lower quays by Tuesday morning.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán canceled his planned foreign engagements, including an address to a plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday where heated debates were expected over his conduct since Hungary took over the European Union’s rotating presidency in July.

“Until we reach the peak and get past the worst of it, I naturally won’t be leaving the country, I’ll be here at home,” he said.

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony wrote on Facebook that the city would use 1 million sandbags to bolster flood defenses, and asked residents to take extra care when near the river.

Karel Janicek reported from Prague. Justin Spike contributed to this report from Budapest, Hungary.

The version corrects a dollar conversion in the third graf, $260 million not $258,000.

Frankie Beverly, the Maze singer who inspired generations of fans with lasting anthems, dies at 77

ENT

Frankie Beverly, the Maze singer who inspired generations of fans with lasting anthems, dies at 77

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