Condolences to my friend and dean of the Silver School of Social Work at New York University, Michael Lindsey, as he mourns the loss of his cousin, the great Frankie Beverly. Some may know his iconic group, Frankie Beverly and Maze, one of the smoothest R&B groups not associated with Motown. Their classic, Before I Let Go, became an anthem for soul music lovers and was played repeatedly at parties. It was one of my all-time favorite songs. During my days as a deejay, it was one of those songs that you couldn’t play just once.
Born Howard Stanley Beverly on December 6, 1946, in Philadelphia, he is reported to have changed his name to Frankie in honor of the late Frankie Lymon, a teen pop singer who died untimely at age 25. Beverly had 29 songs placed on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart, nine in the Top 10, and 14 albums on the R&B Albums chart. His 1985 album Can’t Stop the Love, and his 1989 album Silky Soul reached No. 1 on the R&B Albums chart. Two songs from those albums, Back in Stride and Can’t Get Over You, topped the R&B Singles chart.
Sometimes, bloodlines matter. Frankie Beverly’s mother and Michael’s grandmother are sisters. Frankie and Michael are high achievers, so maybe shared genius flowed through their veins. As dean of the Silver School and president of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW), Dr. Lindsey, a Morehouse alumnus, is making his presence known. I told him a while back that he would be a university president. Perhaps he has eyes on going to Congress. When I joined the faculty at Howard University School of Social Work, everyone bragged about their graduate pursuing a PhD at the University of Pittsburgh. I would finally meet him through Dr. Mary McKay during a CRISP/McSilver Institute congressional briefing.
My affinity for Frankie Beverly and his music stems from our shared birthplace, Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. The list of singers, musicians, and groups emerging from Philadelphia is long and impressive. For R&B fans, there are The Delfonics, The Stylistics, the Three Degrees, Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, Blue Magic, Hall & Oates, Boyz II Men, and McFadden & Whitehead, who gave us the incomparable Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff brought us The Sound of Philadelphia with MFSB and Love Is The Message. Singers going back to Chubby Checker, who had America dancing The Twist, Patti LaBelle, Jim Croce, Phyllis Hyman, Joan Jett, Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu. We must include jazz stalwarts Lee Morgan, Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner, Stanley Clarke, and Christian McBride, to name a few.
I was fortunate to see Frankie Beverly and Maze in concert. They did a three-hour show. Frankie loved to sing. Listen to a few of my favorite Frankie Beverly songs when you can. If you like what you hear, you can thank me when I see you in Kansas City. You can start with Golden Time of Day, one of my favorites. Joy and Pain got much play. I Wanna Thank You, and Happy Feelin’s [sic] also deserve a listen.