Maze featuring Frankie Beverly ‘Wanna Thank You’ New Orleans for ‘One Last Time’ tour

Raeven Poole
·3 min read
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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — After a more than 50-year career, singer, songwriter and producer Frankie Beverly has announced his retirement.

The “We Are One” singer announced Monday, March 18 that the band will hit the road for its “One Last Time” tour before he retires in June.

The tour kicks off on March 22 in Atlanta, Georgia and will make a stop in New Orleans on May 25 at the Smoothie King Center.

For decades, Beverly, along with his group Maze, has graced stages across the world with their mix of R&B, funk and soul music, becoming a crowd favorite at New Orleans festivals including Jazz and Heritage Festival and Essence Festival.

While the group, originated in Philidelphia, it became an integral part of the Crescent City. In 1981, they released their “Live in New Orleans” album where they performed original hits “Joy and Pain,” “Happy Feelin’s,” “Golden Time of Day” and “Southern Girl.”

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One of the group’s biggest hits, “Before I Let Go,” has been sampled by artists of many generations, including Beyoncé. The song can be heard at weddings, parties, outings and across radio waves.

Joining the group on what will also be their final farewell tour are The O’Jays.

The legendary group featuring Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and Eric Nolan Grant will say goodbye to a more than 60-year career on their “The Love Train” tour.

“I was thinking that I would quietly retire, but our fans and my body weren’t having it. The love and physical benefits of performing keep us on the younger side of our age. This tour is a celebration of all of our lives and the struggles and joys that got us to today,” Levert said in an official statement, according to VIBE. “It is time for us to say goodbye and we would like to do it in person. Please come join us as we play the music we have shared together over the past 60 years, one last time.”

Williams said he wants the tour to be a chance to say goodbye to their friends, families and fans and to ride The Love Train one last time.

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The O’Jays stepped on the scene in 1958 releasing their first album in 1965. From there, they went on to release hits such as “For the Love of Money,” “Use Ta Be My Girl,” “Family Reunion,” “Backstabbers” and “Stairway to Heaven.”

Another well-known group joining the tour is The Whispers, a California-based group that for over 55 years has released some dance favorites. Their songs include R&B hits such as “And the Beat Goes On,” “Rock Steady,” “It’s a Love Thing” and “Lady.”

Through the years they have been recognized as some of the leading romantic singers of their generation, earning a gold album and 46 Billboard hits.

Tickets for the “One Last Time” tour are set to go on sale on Friday, March 22 at 10 a.m. on the Ticketmaster website.

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