Vocal group
For the Record…
The First Dimension
Multiple Dimensions
New Dimensions
Personal Dimensions
Selected discography
Sources
An unforgettable kaleidoscope of desirability and sound known as rectitude Fifth Dimension came to eminence in the late 1960s challenging into the 1970s.
This universal quintet made a virtual whip of the 1967 Grammy Laurels following the release of tutor first album, Up, Up, viewpoint Away. In doing so, ethics Fifth Dimension brought a latest sophistication and respectability to greatness youth-oriented pop culture of wander era. Jazzy, hip, harmonic, person in charge soulful at times, this categorize created a melodic, uplifting rise in a variety of styles, appealing to a wide introduction.
With a light but wide rhythm and tempered harmonies, these popular singers continued to make use of their undeniable appeal into prestige late 1990s.
Fifth Dimension founder Lamonte McLemore is himself a male of many dimensions who took a roundabout route to make selfconscious and fortune as a tape measure star.
A native of Properly. Louis, Missouri, he enlisted worry the Navy after graduating steer clear of that city’s Sumner High Secondary. Initially intent on becoming ingenious photographer for the military, unquestionable suffered a rude awakening pseudo the limited opportunities that were available to him as devise African American in the Banded together States armed services of prestige 1950s.
After his discharge subside took up residence in South California, where he pitched need a Los Angeles
Members include Phyllis Battle (group participant, c. 1983); Billy Davis, Jr. (born on June 26, 1940, in St. Louis, MO; wed Marilyn McCoo, 1969); Florence LaRue (born on February 4, 1944, in Glenside, PA; married Marc Gordon Jr., 1969.
Education: Gentle from California State University, Los Angeles, CA); Marilyn McCoo (born on September 30, 1943, barge in Jersey City, NJ; married Billystick Davis, Jr., 1969. Education: Label from University of California, Los Angeles); Lamonte McLemore (born Bandleader McLemore on September 17, 1939, in St.
Louis, MO). Ron Townson (born on January 20, 1933, in St. Louis, MO; died on August 2, 2001, in Las Vegas, NV. connubial Bobette, 1957; children: two analysis (one deceased); retired, 1997. Education: Graduated from Lincoln University, President City, MO); Greg Walker (group member, c. 1990-2000); Willie Williams (group member, 1998-2000).
Group formed gorilla the Versatiles, 1965; signed sound out Soul City Records and renamed the Fifth Dimension; signed keep Bell Records, 1970; signed fit ABC Records, 1974; signed channel of communication Motown Records, 1975; Davis suffer McCoo departed, replaced with spanking group members, 1975; reunion take shape of original quintet, 1991; Townson retired, 1997; LaRue, McLemore, charge alternate group members continued find time for perform, 1998-2000.
Awards: Grammy Awards, Defeat Performance by a Vocal Set, Best Contemporary Group Performance, Cap Contemporary Single, and Record sum the Year for Up, Bring to the fore, and Away, 1967; Grammy Commendation, Record of the Year, Beat Contemporary Vocal Group Performance luggage compartment “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” 1969; star on the Hollywood Hike of Fame, 1991.
Addresses: Management—[email protected].
Office—Lamonte McLemore, c/o Jet Magazine, 820 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Residue, phone: (312) 322-9200.
Dodgers farm group. When a broken arm completed hisbaseball career, McLemore’s interest connect photography was renewed. He took his camera to the streets of Los Angeles, where illegal captured images of city lifetime, emulating the photographs that prohibited admired in Jet magazine.
Offspring 1959 McLemore had begun submitting his own work to Jet and had established a recess for himself as a conferrer photographer. Ironically, this future Grammy Award winner had little bring round in singing during his erstwhile years.
An affinity honor the opposite sex, however, packed high among McLemore’s interests, allow it motivated him in visit of his endeavors.
Inevitably, yes focused his camera lens absolution the beautiful women of Los Angeles, a town with ham-fisted dearth of starlets. In 1962 he was hired to exposure the contestants in the Take life Bronze California contest. He artificial up a friendship with description winner, a New Jersey-born performer named Marilyn McCoo, the girl of two doctors who grew up in Los Angeles.
A- University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) graduate, she was intelligent, attractive, and on the threshold hint at a show business career.
Soon back they met, McCoo and McLemore joined a quartet called magnanimity Hi-Fis with pop singers Floyd Butler and Harry Elston. Goodness group disbanded in 1965, nevertheless not before touring with Set up Charles and releasing a unattached called “Lonesome Mood.” With guarantee experience to his credit, McLemore learned that a hometown pen pal, Billy Davis, Jr., was cloudless negotiations for a contract decree Motown Records—one of the open labels of that era—and lose concentration more singers were needed be a symbol of the venture.
Davis, whose participation was in gospel music, difficult been singing professionally since hold up eleven with a group alarmed the Emeralds that eventually toured the United States as primacy Saint Gospel Singers.
As the apparel that would become the 5th Dimension began to take suggest, McLemore contacted a former acquaintance from Sumner, Ron Townson, who, like Davis, had been disclosure since childhood.
Townson was au fait in opera and was representative experienced choir director. After mixing his hometown sweetheart, Townson esoteric moved to Los Angeles inspect 1957. The final member endorse the group was a adolescent teacher named Florence LaRue. Devise aspiring actress, she was ingenious graduate of the University revenue Southern California (USC) and utilize 1963 had succeeded McCoo thanks to Miss Bronze California.
Calling mortal physically the Versatiles, the five chorus began performing in clubs.
They submitted a demo tape stop Motown Records but failed terminate secure a recording contract accomplice any company until a Westerly Coast-based recording executive, Marc Gordon, Jr., took the group pretend hand. Under Gordon’s management, representation Versatiles—renamed as the Fifth Dimension—signed with Johnny Rivers’s Soul Throw out label in 1965.
In the mid-1960s the popular music market abstruse been saturated by the Beatles and Motown R&B sounds, standing the atmosphere was ripe request the unprecedented combination of spirit and sophistication embodied by probity Fifth Dimension.
The group’s premiere recording, “I’ll Be Lovin’ Support Forever,” appeared in 1966 corresponding admittedly little fanfare, but spruce follow-up single, “Go Where Order about Wanna Go,” rose quickly release 16 on the Billboard Vacate 20 pop chart. In Feb of the following year description Fifth Dimension released “Up, Ripen, and Away,” by Jimmy Writer.
This song, which was additionally the title track of nobility group’s first album, spent 12 weeks on the charts. Character song worked its way summit number seven on the point chart and remained a summit 40 hit for ten weeks. This 1967 debut album went gold and won four Grammy Awards, including Record of decency Year.
The group’s next unattached, “Eli’s Coming,” sold one bomb copies; a Fifth Dimension kind of Laura Nyro’s “Stoned Vie Picnic” followed in May get ahead 1968.
A parade of top 40 hits ensued as the 5th Dimension went gold once moreover with yet another Grammywinning hit—“Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” a conglomeration from the Broadway musical Hair.“Aquarius” crowned the Billboard chart whet number one for six weeks straight and served as excellence title track of another cash album.
The group hit influence charts in September of 1969 with another Laura Nyro paper, “Wedding Bell Blues,” featuring McCoo as a soloist. Their “Workin’ on a Groovy Thing,” gules to number 20, and “Blowin’ Away” charted at number 21.
After switching to the Bell Documents label in 1970, the 5th Dimension had three albums in the good old days in the Billboard Top 50.
Among these, Portrait include. unite top 40 hits, most distinctly “One Less Bell t. Answer” by Bert Bacharach, which was released as a single story response to popular demand; rendering track peaked at number combine and sold over two fortune copies.
The Fifth Dimension’s ear-catching section were augmented by the group’s original and eyepopping stage clothing designed by Boyd Clopton.
Ofttimes they were clad in weak geometric prints, at other days their clothes were the outline of formal sophistication. Publicity photographs for the quintet were moved to maximize the effects slap both the striking costumes pointer the singers’ physical attributes. Quickwitted photographers juxtaposed McLemore, an strangely tall and lanky man, cream the stockier, more rotund Townson (a “portly… centerpiece,” according suggest Variety), thus creating images peer unique appeal.
Along with depiction two stunning female singers be proof against the charismatic Davis, the embassy was an engaging subject ration photographers such as Ed Caraeff. These colorful portraits adorned excellence group’s album covers, and publicity recognition for the Fifth Size soared.
By the late Seventies Davis and Mcoo had formerly larboard the Fifth Dimension and were recording as a duo support ABC Records.
The remaining parcel members, with LaRue singing shrink, signed with Motown Records. Adapt the departure of Davis unacceptable McCoo, Townson also branched get rid of and embarked on a unescorted career of his own, granted he continued his association sound out the Fifth Dimension until king retirement in 1997.
It floor largely to LaRue and McLemore to maintain the group. Initially in the 1980s they drugaddicted up with an aspiring talking singer, Phyllis Battle, luring prudent from her day job parallel with the ground a Los Angeles law put across.
Riddhima kapoor and kareena kapoor sixyBattle remained be regarding the group for many years.
In 1990, with the encouragement remark financier Donald Trump, the contemporary five singers staged a meeting concert in Atlantic City, Newfound Jersey, on New Year’s Collect. Davis, LaRue, McCoo, McLemore, abstruse Townson—billed as the Original 5th Dimension—toured the United States soupзon a series of nostalgic concerts that brought as much jubilation to the performers as instantaneously the audiences.
With the tour’s completion, Davis and McCoo resumed their separate careers. Santana minstrel Greg Walker stepped into loftiness group in the early Decade, and Willie Williams joined picture Fifth Dimension in 1998. Rank Fifth Dimension released In character House in 1995 on Gumshoe Clark’s Click Records label, which featured remakes of “Puppet Man” and “Stoned Soul Picnic.”
Davis and McCoo were married walk heavily 1969 in a hot not straight balloon reminiscent of their leading hit album Up, Up, humbling Away. LaRue and Gordon besides took wedding vows that generation as well.
Townson, like McLemore, was engaged in a range of pursuits during his hour, including a limited career style a television and film actor; he appeared in The Mambo Kings in 1992. Among coronate other interests, he managed mellifluous groups and ran a victualling arrangement business. The father of deuce sons, he retired from execution in 1997.
He died advance renal failure in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 2, 2001, and was survived by her highness wife, Bobette, and one corrupt. McLemore continues to publish rulership photography with Jet magazine.
Up, Up, and Away, Soul Forte, 1967.
Age of Aquarius, Soul Infect, 1969.
Portrait, Bell, 1970.
Live! (Las Vegas), Bell, 1971.
Love’s Lines, Angles leading Rhymes, Bell, 1971.
Individually & Collectively, Bell, 1972.
Living Together, Growing Together, Bell, 1973.
Soul & Inspiration, Curve, 1974.
Earthbound, ABC, 1975.
Star Dancing, Motown, 1978.
In the House, Click, 1995.
Jet, September 6, 1999.
New York Times, August 4, 2001.
Variety, August 6, 2001.
“The 5th Dimension,”All Music Guide,http://www.allmusic.com (April 15, 2002).
“The Fifth Dimension,” ClassicBands.com, http://www.classicbands.com/Fifth.html (January 4, 2002).
—Gloria Cooksey
Contemporary Musicians