Phila. Walk of Fame comes back to life

Reviving a tradition idle for 7 1/2 years, the Philadelphia Music Alliance plans to announce today that it will install a 107th bronze plaque on South Broad Street as part of the Philadelphia Walk of Fame.

Next Friday, the R&B/soul act Maze featuring Frankie Beverly will be honored in a noontime ceremony outside the Atlantic Building at 260 S. Broad St., near the Ruth's Chris steakhouse and Ted's Montana Grill restaurant near Spruce Street.

Maze, which has placed 28 singles and 13 albums in the Billboard R&B charts ("Running Away," "Love Is The Key," "Back in Stride," "Too Many Games," "Can't Get Over You," and "Silky Soul"), will perform that night at the Mann Music Center on a bill with Chaka Khan.

The last series of 12-by-16-inch bronze plaques was installed Nov. 17, 2000, to honor Fabian Forte, Rob Hyman, Eric Bazilian, "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes, Kal Rudman, and Russell Faith.

The Walk of Fame, to honor outstanding contributors to the local music and arts community, was dedicated between Walnut and Pine Streets in late 1986. The first 10 honorees were named in February 1987: Marian Anderson, Mario Lanza, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Bessie Smith, Pearl Bailey, Chubby Checker, Bill Haley, Bobby Rydell, and Leopold Stokowski.

For nearly a decade, honors were awarded annually, and usually to many performers at once.

But then came a money issue, including a loss of state funding, said Joe Tarsia, the legendary Philadelphia sound engineer who is on the alliance's executive committee with other industry heavyweights such as Larry Magid and Kenny Gamble.

"We never did go away," Tarsia told The Inquirer. "We just went into hibernation to regroup. We have a lot of catching up to do. Kenny (Gamble)is helping make that happen."

Besides Gamble - cofounder of Philadelphia International Records and a recent inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - the PMA has received help from the Rhythm-and-Blues Foundation, which relocated to Philadelphia in 2005, and the Avenue of the Arts Inc.

He said another ceremony would be held in September, though he declined to disclose the honorees.