Track 7 from Joy and Pain (1980)

Tracks 8 and 9 from Live in New Orleans (1981)

Tracks 10 and 11 from We Are One (1983)

Track 12 from Can't Stop the Love (1985)

Beverly formed his band, originally called Frankie Beverly's Raw Soul, in Philadelphia, but the group was based in San Francisco for most of its history. But Washington, D.C. was always a strong market for Maze and I know and love so many of the band's songs from stations like Majic 102. Marvin Gaye took the band on the road, mentored them, and suggested the name change to Maze. 

Maze is kind of the quintessential non-crossover R&B act. They have 9 albums that went gold but none of them got to platinum. They have dozens of hits on the R&B charts, but only 4 of them made it to the bottom half of the Hot 100, and their most famous song, "Before I Let Go," wasn't one of them. They do have a connection to a #1 pop hit, though. A few years ago I interviewed 24kGoldn of "Mood" fame, and learned that his real name is Golden and he was named after the title track from Maze's "Golden Time of Day." 

Maze and Frankie Beverly were early on the trend of releasing a live album with a few studio tracks tacked on the end, and "Before I Let Go" was one of the four new songs on Live in New Orleans, along with "Reasons." I like to think that Beyonce put her "Before I Let Go" cover at the end of a live album, Homecoming, on purpose in homage to that fact. 

"I Need You" was sampled on 50 Cent's "Hustler's Ambition," "Right On Time" was sampled by Eminem and J Dilla, and "Happiness" was sampled by Z-Ro. Maze has released some greatest hits albums, but in 1998 they also released Greatest Slow Jams, which is heavy on album tracks including "Lovely Inspiration," "Happiness," "Reason," "Your Own Kind of Way," and "A Place in My Heart."