Sep 17, 2024 - Culture

New Orleans sends Frankie Beverly off with a second-line

Frankie Beverly sings into a mic on stage at New Orleans Jazz Festival, wearing a white T-shirt and a white hat. — Frankie Beverly performs during the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images

Legendary soul singer and songwriter Frankie Beverly was born in Philadelphia but New Orleans treated him as an honorary citizen, too.

The big picture: Thousands of people in New Orleans sent off Beverly, who died last week at 77, in style with a memorial street parade known as a second-line on Monday.

Why it matters: Memorial second-lines are rarely held for outsiders, so it's a distinct honor that New Orleans held up Beverly in this way.

Context: Beverly, the frontman of the soul band Maze, developed a strong connection with New Orleans, performing at several music festivals and events there.

That includes closing gigs at Essence Fest, repeat appearances at Jazz Fest and recording the 1981 R&B and soul classic "Live in New Orleans" at the Saenger Theatre.

Zoom in: Second-lines are born out of a New Orleans cultural tradition unique to the city's Black community known as jazz funerals.

In that tradition, when a person is buried, it's known as "cutting the body loose." As their family leaves the cemetery, they follow a brass band that plays upbeat music that celebrates the life they led, and the loved ones left behind.

Watch the second-line ... Learn the history

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New Orleans sends Frankie Beverly off with a second-line

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