Legendary Singer, Frankie Beverly’s Last Performance at 77: “He Touched the World & Made it Better”

(Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) “Every time you put on one of his songs, it reminds you of fun-filled family reunion where you see your all your aunts and uncles two step to the smooth grooves.” That’s how some people describe what it feels like when they listen to the legendary MAZE featuring Frankie Beverly songs. Since Frankie Beverly and his band’s debut in 1977, their music has been the soundtrack to Black joy for generations of Black people for 50 years and counting. Bliss-filled hits like like “Joy and Pain,” “Golden Time of Day,” “Happy Feeling,” and “Can’t Get Over You”  have long been the soundtrack to our summer barbeques, family reunions, Sunday morning clean-ups and weekday morning commutes. When you play a Frankie Beverly record, your soul smiles. That feeling has translated into a live, in-person party over the decades when you see Frankie Beverly in person. Usually, you would see a crowd of grown folks, dressed in all white to honor Frankie’s favorite color, and most of the time singing word-for-word every song back to back to back. It’s a beautiful sight to see. Now, that live music era has come to end as Frankie has hung...