The Gospel According to Frankie Beverly
I was a vendor at a wellness conference, and music was piped in through the sound system. Whoever created the playlist understood the assignment. We were all singing in sync and laughed that we came in as vendors and ended up forming a singing group. The songs were a mix of classic soul, neo-soul, and contemporary gospel. As a Gen X'er, this was the perfect intersection.
But when Frankie Beverly came on… we all stood up …
(Let’s take a moment to honor the ancestor, Frankie Beverly.)
We all stood for Frankie and sang “We Are One,” then reminisced on how he was more than a musician. He was a storyteller, the one who gathered us together, the griot who connected generations. His songs were words of wisdom—their own gospel. It reminded me of a piece I dedicated to him when he made his transition.
Thank you
I wanna THANK YOU
For all the HAPPY FEELINGS you poured into my life’s soundtrack.
Your music has helped me throughJOY AND PAIN, sunshine and rain,
Sustaining me WHILE I’M ALONE.
You ARE the staple of all community,
family and friend gatherings,
Reminding us that WE ARE ONE,
That LOVE IS THE KEY, and that
we all need to be WORKIN’ TOGETHER
In YOUR OWN KIND OF WAY.
In the GOLDEN TIME OF DAY,
Your music will continue to ground me.
You were
more than a musician,
more than a song—
You’re part of my life’s soundtrack.
BEFORE I LET GO
I promise to NEVER LET YOU DOWN
And carry on the love, unity, and togetherness
That was the thread connecting all of us.
I hear you sing FEEL THAT YOU’RE FEELIN’.
Whenever I feel that I CAN’T GET OVER YOU,
I remember that your music and legacy are always with me, too,
And I can GET BACK IN STRIDE.
Rest in peace and power, Frankie Beverly.
Thank you for the gospel you spread so faithfully