Frankie Beverly is returning the stage he helped to build.
ESSENCE magazine is gearing up for the 30th celebration of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture. To commemorate this milestone, the magazine has tapped Frankie Beverly for his final performance and as the cover story of the July/August 2024 issue.
Beverly and Essence’s relationship started at the music festival’s inception. The crooner and his iconic band closed out the inaugural festival in 1995—and yearly for the next 14 years. Having Beverly perform, during his year of retirement and the festival’s 30th anniversary felt like a ‘full circle moment’, per the brand.
In a statement, Essence shared that Maze featuring Frankie Beverly’s music has been woven into summer cookouts so “it’s no surprise that the legendary performer is returning to the pinnacle of summer.”
Earlier this year, Beverly has announced his retirement and revealed the schedule for his farewell tour with Maze, titled “I Wanna Thank You.”
The five-city tour kicked off in Atlanta on March 22 and featured El DeBarge and Chaka Khan as special guests. The tour visited Alabama, Chicago, and Houston before concluding in Los Angeles on May 12.
“I want to share with my lifelong fans and associates that I’ll be going out on the road one last time, then retire,” Beverly said to Billboard. “Thank you so much for the support given to me for over 50 years as I pass on the lead vocalist torch to Tony Lindsay. The band will continue on as Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly. It’s been a great ride through the decades. Let the music of my legacy continue.”
The cover story will grace the inside pages of ESSENCE’s July/August 2024 magazine issue on newsstands available June 25th.