by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
September 19, 2024
Three of his songs were among the top 10 songs on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales chart.
Master performer and revered R&B soul singer Frankie Beverly died on Sept. 10 at 77. Music lovers flocked to listen to his songs online shortly after his death, and three of his songs were among the top 10 songs on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales chart.
According to RatedRnB, the singer saw a massive uptick in sales on the list after news of his death hit the airwaves. His most popular song, “Before I Let Go,” which seems like it’s been played at every Black BBQ for the past 40 years, shot up to the No. 2 slot on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales chart, according to Luminate. “Joy and Pain” was at the No. 7 spot, while “Golden Time of Day” came in at No. 7.
Meanwhile, Billboard reported that the streams for Beverly’s catalog (Maze feat. Frankie Beverly) jumped 970%. From Sept. 8–10, songs streamed on-demand were over 690,000. After the announcement of his death, from Sept. 11–13, it skyrocketed to over 7.4 million streams.
“Before I Let Go” saw a jump of 540% from 156,000 streams to just over 997,000 streams. Streams of the song “Joy and Pain” increased 1200% from just over 50,000 to over 654,000 streams. Sales after his passing across his catalog saw a 9,308% boost. Before Beverly’s death, between Sept. 8-10, there were only 95 digital tracks sold; between Sept. 11-13, that figure rose to over 8,900 digital tracks sold.
When Beverly was asked about Beyoncé recording a cover of “Before I Let Go” in 2019, he expressed that it was an honor to have her re-record that song.
“It’s a blessing. It’s amazing how she works; she’s very smart,” he told Billboard at the time of the song’s release. “I’m caught off guard, but in a beautiful way. She’s such a sweet person, too. She’s a very sweet, religious kind of person. Then, the way she just released it, it’s off the chain. She’s done so much; this is one of the high points of my life.”
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