Johnny Gill and Maze

One of four sons of a minister, Gill was raised in a religious family, and it was through that that he was first introduced to music, specifically through gospel songs. He got his start very early, singing in a family gospel group, and would gradually go on to continue with his singing career throughout his teens, so much so that he was forced to continue his education with the help of a tutor, rather than through the regular schooling route. Despite that, he had planned to go on and study electrical engineering at college, but eventually decided to pursue his musical path instead.

He would move towards an R&B sound as he got older, first releasing a debut solo album - self-titled - in 1983 after his demo made its way to the president of Atlantic Records, and then through his work with the boy band New Edition, who he joined in 1987. He helped them to move towards a more mature sound on their ‘Heart Break’ LP. He continues to work sporadically with New Edition, but also has gone on to cement his reputation as one of the stars of new jack swing in his own right, as well as work with contemporaries like Keith Sweat.

Originally from Philadelphia, singer-songwriter, producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Frankie Beverly, formed Raw Soul in 1970. The group recorded a number of singles with limited success and subsequently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1981, where the group was introduced to Marvin Gaye. Before long Raw Soul became a huge success, were invited to tour in support of Gaye, and at his recommendation changed their name to Maze in 1976.

The same year, thanks to Mr. Gaye’s persuasion with the label, Maze signed with Capitol Records and released their debut album “Maze featuring Frankie Beverly” in 1977. The album was certified gold and earned the group a considerable fan base, aided by the singles “Happy Feelin’s”, “While I’m Alone” and “Lady of Magic”. At this time singer and rhythm guitarist Beverly was joined by lead guitarist Wayne Thomas, keyboard player Sam Porter, percussionist and backing vocalists Ronald “Roame” Loary and McKinley “Bug” Williams, and drummer Billy “Shoes” Johnson.

Maze’s sophomore album “Golden Time of Day” featuring the No. 9 R&B hit “Workin’ Together” was followed by “Inspiration” in 1979. Both these albums and all subsequent releases have been certified gold, and reached similar positions in U.S. Billboard 200 and U.S. R&B charts, which speaks volumes to the band’s consistency and devoted following. “Joy and Pain” was released in 1980, followed by “We Are One” in 1983, which marked Maze’s introduction into the UK charts reaching No. 38 and selling-out eight shows at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, UK.

Maze’s subsequent album “Can’t Stop the Love” in 1985 was the band first chart-topping U.S. R&B album, led by the singles “Back In Stride” and “Too Many Games”. In 1989 the band moved to Warner Bros. and released the album “Silky Soul”, which also found its way to the top of the R&B chart. Around this time the group proved popular with rappers who sampled a number Maze’s songs. “Back to Basics” was released in 1993, which the group supported with an extensive tour schedule.