Arizona Tribune - Mayor of Raleigh proclaims May 10, 2025 Frankie Beverly Day!

The Mayor of Raleigh, Janet Cowell,designates May 10th as Frankie Beverly Day to coincide with the Frankie Beverly Tribute World Tour's stop at Dorton Arena in Raleigh on May 10th. Don't miss this historic event, starring the We Are One X-Perience official licensed world tour band playing all of Frankie Beverly hits you love. Also on this show is GoGo sensations Big Tony and Trouble Funk, along with the all female powerhouse GoGo band Be La Dona.

Frankie Beverly, born Howard Beverly, was a soul, funk, and R&B singer, songwriter, and producer, best known as the frontman and founder of the band Maze, who passed away on September 10, 2024, at the age of 77.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 6, 1946. Grew up in the East Germantown section of Philadelphia. Started singing gospel music in a local church as a child, even being showcased as a soloist. He formed a group called the Blenders while in high school. In the early 1960s, he started a group called The Butlers. Formation of Maze took place In 1970, originally known as Raw Soul.

The band's music, a blend of soul, funk, and R&B, rapidly gained popularity. They toured with Marvin Gaye as his opening act, which helped launch his career. Maze released their first album, "Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly," in 1977.

The band gained worldwide appeal with its legendary live performances.

They released the album "Live in New Orleans" which captured the energy of their stage shows. Maze had hits like "Golden Time of Day," "Joy and Pain," "Before I Let Go," and "We Are One". In 2002, Beverly received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards. He announced his Retirement and Farewell Tour: earlier in 2024. He and Maze embarked on a "I Wanna Thank You" Farewell Tour, with guest appearances from Chaka Khan and El DeBarge.

Frankie Beverly and Maze are considered icons of classic soul music.

Their music continues to be enjoyed by fans worldwide. Their song "Before I Let Go" became a staple in the Black community and was covered by Beyonce.

Beverly died at his home in Los Angeles on in 2024 after suffering a heart attack. The news of his passing was shared on the official Instagram account of Frankie Beverly and Maze.

1. The We Are One X-Perience: the official licensed world tour band special Tribute to Frankie Beverly.

When you listen to We Are One X-Perience, you can't believe what you are hearing and witnessing. You might even have to pinch yourself to make sure you are not dreaming. This talented group of men have done what many artists are afraid to do and that is to emulate and give you the true essence of the legendary great group Maze featuring Frankie Beverly!

After years of envisioning the possibilities and developing a finely tuned band, while creating the perfect look, the hard work A Salute To Frankie Beverly featuring the We Are One X-Perience has finally become a reality!

They have quickly become the most respected Maze featuring Frankie Beverly tribute in the nation.

This eight-piece band, with each of its unique members, provides amazing chemistry. These veteran musicians pride themselves on giving their audience a high-energy performance every time they take the stage, and they never disappoint.

The group is led by National Recording Drummer ELWarren "Spoon" Weatherspoon most notably known as the current Musical Director/Band Member for decades of the Multi-Platinum R&B Group Heatwave, and featuring lead vocalist, Franklen "Frank" Poole, (who has the amazing vocal range of his life-long idol Frankie Beverly). The group's setlist highlights the early years including Back in Stride, Too Many Games, Can't Get Over You, Before I let Go, Running Away and many more of Maze and the transition to Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly. They sing all the hit songs that everyone knows and loves!

This group is electrifying, and they have the talent to give the audience the true concert experience. Everything heard during the performance is completely live with no pre-recorded tracks!

We Are One X-Perience Band travels with a full eight (8) member band, (3) person Production Crew, with a (2) person Merchandising Team for that true Maze feel.

2. Trouble Funk

Trouble Funk is an American R&B and Funk band from Washington, D.C. The group helped to popularize Funk and the subgenre Go-Go in the Washington metropolitan area. Among the band's well-known songs is the Go-Go anthem "Hey, Fellas". They released several studio albums including Drop the Bomb, In Times of Trouble, Live, and Trouble Over Here Trouble Over There (UK No. 54), and two live albums, Trouble Funk: Straight Up Go-Go Style and Saturday Night Live. In 1982, they released a single "So Early in the Morning" on D.E.T.T Records, later reissued on diverse labels as 2.13.61 and Tuff City. Trouble Funk sometimes shared the stage with hardcore punk bands of the day such as Minor Threat and the Big Boys. Funk's song "Pump Me Up" was sampled by many other artists, including Dimples D.'s one-hit wonder "Sucker DJ", which went to No. 1 in Australia, Public Enemy's "Fight the Power", Kurtis Blow's song "If I Ruled the World" and M.A.R.R.S.'s song "Pump Up the Volume". The song is also featured in the film Style Wars and on the fictional old-school hip hop radio station Wildstyle in the game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

3. Be La Dona

Washington, D.C., is the birthplace of this exciting nine piece diverse all-female band. Be'la Dona is so unique in their musical presentation that they have branded their style as "Sensual Crank." This unique style commands an impressive drawing power, attracting many beloved fans and local promoters. Versatility is the group's main attribute. They have the ability to play any music genre, from rock, R&B, gospel, pop, jazz, and, of course, their hometown music go-go. Large venue or small venue is not a probl for the ladies of Be'la Dona because they approach every show with the same intensity. Be'la Dona captivates their audience and delivers the best musical performance each and every time. As the ladies of Be'la Dona continue to perform in the DC area and abroad, their acclaim and fame is growing as new ears hear their unique style. They have also been featured via interview and pictorials in numerous print, internet, and published media such as Tom Tom Magazine, The Gazette, The Washington Post, and even books such as Total Eclipse of the Heart by Zane. These ladies are strong, talented, ambitious, and beautiful. Be'la Dona is more than a group...it's a movement, and once you've experienced it you'll understand how the Be'la Nation continues to grow. This is the band you've been waiting for. Come and enjoy the ladies of Be'la Dona.

Next Level Veterans Outreach

Next Level Veterans Outreach is a nonprofit full service veteran organization that is also known for it's development of veterans with performing talents and provides expense paid trips to New York to audition at the World Famous Apollo Theatre's for Amateur Night at the Apollo.

Contact: Captain Newborn Next Level Veterans
919-323-6920

SOURCE: Next Level Veterans Day Campus/Drop in Center Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

W.Moreno--AT