Keeping the Groove Alive: How ELWarren Weatherspoon Built the Definitive Salute to Frankie Beverly

A Tribute Rooted in Respect for the Music

A Salute to Frankie Beverly featuring We Are One X-perience was created with a mission to honor the music with the same care and commitment that made audiences fall in love with it in the first place. Over the past decade, the eight-piece ensemble has grown into a nationally touring production dedicated to preserving the songs and the communal spirit associated with Frankie Beverly & Maze.

Led by ELWarren “Spoon” Weatherspoon, a national recording artist, drummer, and longtime Musical Director and member of Heatwave, the group approaches tribute performance as an embodiment of stewardship. Every show, Weatherspoon notes, is performed entirely live, without pre-recorded tracks, reflecting the same band-first philosophy that attracted Weatherspoon to Frankie Beverly’s music years before launching the project.

“The band name is called A Salute to Frankie Beverly featuring The We Are One X-Perience,” Weatherspoon says. “That pretty much tells it all in a nutshell, what we do, who we do it for, and the type of music that we play.”

Building a Legacy Through Live Performance

According to him, the idea emerged during breaks touring with Heatwave. After observing the rise of tribute productions across the entertainment industry, Weatherspoon found that many often centered on recreating personalities. His attention, still, was elsewhere. He wanted to celebrate a catalog built around live musicians, carefully crafted arrangements, and songs that audiences carry with them decades after their release.

“I wanted to be in a project like that. And Frankie, he didn’t use any tracks. He played live music with live musicians. That was my inspiration,” Weatherspoon says. His commitment to performing live became pivotal to the band’s identity. He recalls spending years studying the music closely, determined to understand the arrangement and the emotional connection audiences felt toward it. “I see a lot of tribute brands that try to put a spin on the original style, but I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. He is famous like this for a reason,” Weatherspoon adds.

Why Frankie Beverly’s Music Continues to Endure

To him, the lasting appeal of Frankie Beverly’s music lies in its ability to remain relevant across generations. While many artists rely on a particular era, Weatherspoon believes Beverly’s songwriting continues to resonate because listeners recognize their own experiences in the stories being told.

“Although he created these songs over 40 years ago, they are still relevant in today’s times. He has art that resonates with people’s life stories, encompassing all the things that happen to them in a lifetime,” he explains.

Weatherspoon believes that the loyalty that followed Beverly throughout his career remains one of the defining features of his legacy. He points to performances decades after the release of many of the songs, while the band’s agent, Mike Jamison, recalls seeing audiences spanning multiple generations embrace the music.

“We’ve seen people who are from 20 to 80 years old who love Frankie Beverly,” Jamison says, “That is one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. It’s such an expansive mixture of people who’ve been touched by his music.”

Preserving the Experience for Future Generations

According to Weatherspoon, this growth reinforced the responsibility of carrying the music forward. The group’s performances draw from beloved songs such as “Back in Stride,” “Can’t Get Over You,” “Too Many Games,” “Running Away,” and “Before I Let Go,” but the band’s larger goal lies in making the audience experience the energy and musicianship that made Frankie Beverly’s performances memorable in the first place.

“We are focused on keeping the authenticity with the same energy, the same style, the same aura that captivated Frankie Beverly’s audiences. He gave it for so many years, we aim to continue to honor his legacy so that the audiences who love him can continue to experience his presence,” he says.

More than a decade after its formation, The We Are One X-Perience continues to pursue that mission, introducing new audiences to collections that remain deeply woven into the lives of longtime fans, and ensuring that the music Frankie Beverly championed continues to be heard on stages far beyond the era in which it was first created.