The 5th Dimension

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The 5th Dimension
5th Dimension 1969.jpg
The 5th Dimension in 1969
Back row: Townson and McLemore.
Front row: LaRue, Davis, and McCoo.
Background information
Also known asThe Versatiles (1965–1966)
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Years active1966–present
(until 1975 in original incarnation)
Labels Soul City, Imperial, Bell, Arista, ABC, Motown, Columbia
Members Florence LaRue
Patrice Morris
Leonard Tucker
Floyd Smith
Sidney Jacobs
Past members Billy Davis Jr.
Phyllis Battle
Lamonte McLemore
Ronald Townson
Greg Walker
Marilyn McCoo
See: Membership section for detailed listing

The 5th Dimension is an American vocal group. Their music encompasses sunshine pop, [1] pop soul, [1] and psychedelic soul. [3]

Contents

Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. [4] Between 1967 and 1973 they charted with 20 top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which – "Up, Up and Away" (no. 7, 1967) and the 1969 number one "Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)" — won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Other big hits include "Stoned Soul Picnic" (no. 3), "Wedding Bell Blues" (no. 1), "One Less Bell to Answer" (no. 2), a cover of "Never My Love" (pop no. 12/Easy Listening no. 1), "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" (no. 8), and "If I Could Reach You" (pop no. 10/Easy Listening no. 1). Three of their records reached the top ten of Billboard's Rhythm & Blues/Soul chart. Five of their 19 top 20 hits on the Easy Listening chart reached number one. [5]

The five original members were Lamonte McLemore, Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue, Ronald Townson, and Billy Davis Jr. Their earliest recordings were on the Soul City record label, which was started by recording artist Johnny Rivers. The group later recorded for Bell/Arista Records, ABC Records, and Motown Records.

Some of the songwriters who worked with the 5th Dimension went on to careers of their own, especially Ashford & Simpson, who wrote the song "California Soul". The group is also notable for having more success with the songs of Laura Nyro than Nyro did herself, [4] particularly with "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sweet Blindness", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Blowin' Away" and "Save the Country". The group also recorded songs by well-known songwriters including Burt Bacharach and Hal David ("One Less Bell to Answer") and Jimmy Webb, who wrote "Up, Up and Away". The group's 1967 LP The Magic Garden features all but one song composed by Webb.

The 5th Dimension's producer Bones Howe used Bob Alcivar as the singers' vocal arranger as well as instrumental backing by the Wrecking Crew for their recording sessions.

Career

Formation

In the early 1960s, Lamonte McLemore and Marilyn McCoo got together with three friends from Los Angeles—Harry Elston, Lawrence Summers, and Fritz Baskett—to form a group called the Hi-Fis, which later became the Vocals. [6] When the Vocals broke up, McLemore and McCoo teamed up with aspiring opera singer Ron Townson, gospel singer Billy Davis Jr., and Florence LaRue, who — like McCoo — had won the Grand Talent award in the annual Miss Bronze beauty pageant. [7]

The members began rehearsing as the Versatiles in late 1965 and auditioned for Marc Gordon, who headed Motown's Los Angeles office. [6] Berry Gordy, the head of Motown Records, declined the group, but Gordon still believed in them and wanted to manage them. Gordon brought them to the attention of Johnny Rivers, who had just started his own label, Soul City Records. Soul City signed the group, but Rivers insisted on a new name. Townson and his wife came up with "The 5th Dimension," and as Davis recalled later, "We all heard it, we all agreed right away, 'That’s got to be it!’" [8] In November 1966, Soul City released their first single as the 5th Dimension, "I'll Be Lovin' You Forever". However, the song failed to chart.

Major hits

The group performing in 1970 5th Dimension 1970.jpg
The group performing in 1970

In 1967 the 5th Dimension recorded "Go Where You Wanna Go," which became a breakthrough hit for them. The song was a John Phillips tune and reached No. 16 on the US Hot 100 chart. [6] The group followed this with "Up, Up and Away", [6] which reached No. 7 later that same year and went on to win five Grammy Awards. The following year, the group scored major hit singles with Laura Nyro's songs "Stoned Soul Picnic" (U.S. No. 3) and "Sweet Blindness" (U.S. No. 13). [6] The group received a gold record for their album Stoned Soul Picnic.

That album included "California Soul", which peaked at No. 25 in February 1969. [6] Weeks later the group's success broke wide open, with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" from the musical Hair topping the Hot 100 for six straight weeks in April and May [6] and another Nyro song, "Wedding Bell Blues", doing the same for the first three full weeks in November. Their cover of Neil Sedaka's "Workin' On a Groovy Thing" went to No. 20 in between. Those four singles kept the group on the Hot 100 for all but four weeks in 1969. By some reckonings, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" was the biggest hit single for 1969. [9]

Later top 20 hits included 1970's "One Less Bell to Answer" (U.S. No. 2), [6] 1971's "Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes" (U.S. No. 19) and "Never My Love" (U.S. No. 12), and 1972's "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" (U.S. No. 8) and "If I Could Reach You" (U.S. No. 10). The group had seven other top 40 hits, the last being 1973's "Living Together, Growing Together" (U.S. No. 32) from the film Lost Horizon .

TV appearances

The 5th Dimension were the featured act of a July 28, 1969, CBS broadcast of highlights from the Harlem Cultural Festival, the "Black Woodstock" gathering in Mount Morris Park that drew 300,000 festival attendees over six shows. The New York Times reported the 5th Dimension show drew 60,000 alone. [10]

On August 18, 1971, their television special, The 5th Dimension Traveling Sunshine Show, first aired. [11] The group also performed in Burt Bacharach in Shangri-La, a 1973 special promoting Lost Horizon. [12]

The 5th Dimension made appearances on Soul Train , American Bandstand , The Flip Wilson Show , The Mike Douglas Show , The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson , and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour . [13]

Regrouping

In 1975, McCoo and Davis, who had married on July 26, 1969, left the group to do collective and individual projects. [6] The duo had success with "Your Love" and the chart topper "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)", [14] which won them their seventh Grammy award as well as their own television variety show, The Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. show. Marilyn McCoo served a lengthy 1980s stint as the host of the TV show Solid Gold . [14]

21st century

Florence LaRue and the 5th Dimension performing a free outdoor concert in Manalapan, New Jersey in 2018 Florence LaRue and the 5th Dimension performing outdoors 2018.JPG
Florence LaRue and the 5th Dimension performing a free outdoor concert in Manalapan, New Jersey in 2018

As of April 2009, the group was actively touring as "the 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue," led by LaRue, with Willie Williams, Leonard Tucker, Patrice Morris and Floyd Smith. [15]

On June 21, 2016, the 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue performed in The Villages, Florida just days after the Orlando nightclub shooting. LaRue took the opportunity to share her thoughts on the shooting: "We will not be terrorized. We know what's happening in the world, but this is a song about good health, love, peace and happiness. We still believe in those things today," she stated before the group performed "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In". [16]

In November 2017, the 5th Dimension appeared for 18 performances at the Andy Williams Performing Arts Centre in Branson, Missouri, in the Andy Williams Christmas Extravaganza hosted by Jimmy Osmond. [17]

Honors

The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. [18]

They have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, inducted August 9, 1991, and the St. Louis Walk of Fame, inducted on March 18, 2010. [19]

Membership

McCoo and Davis left the group in November 1975. Since then, other members have included the following:

Original lineupFlorence LaRueMarilyn McCooBilly Davis Jr.LaMonte McLemoreRon Townson
1966–75Florence LaRueMarilyn McCooBilly Davis Jr.LaMonte McLemoreRon Townson
1975Eloise LawsDanny Beard
1976–76Marjorie Barnes
1978Terri Bryant
1978–79Lou CourtneyMic Bell
1979Pat Bass/
Tanya Boyd/
Joyce Wright Pierce
Michael Procter
1980–86Joyce Wright PierceRon Townson
1986Estrelita
1987Joyce Wright Pierce
1988Phyllis Battle
1989–92Eugene Barry Hill
1993–98Greg Walker
1998–2002Sidney Jacobs
2002Van Jewell
2002–05Julie Delgado
2005Van Jewell
2005–06Jamila Ajibade
2006–07Valerie DavisLeonard TuckerMichael Mishaw
2007Jennifer Lee Warren/
Gwyn Foxx
2008Patrice Morris
2009–presentFloyd Smith

Discography

Related Research Articles

<i>Earthbound</i> (The 5th Dimension album) 1975 studio album by the 5th Dimension

Earthbound is the twelfth album by American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1975 by ABC Records. It is the last album for the group's original line-up of Billy Davis Jr., Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue, Lamonte McLemore and Ron Townson. After touring with the 5th Dimension in support of this album, Billy Davis Jr. and Marilyn McCoo left the group to work as a duo and as solo artists.

<i>The Age of Aquarius</i> (album) 1969 studio album by the 5th Dimension

The Age of Aquarius is the fourth album by the American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1969. It was their biggest commercial success in the United States, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B Albums charts.

<i>Up, Up and Away</i> (The 5th Dimension album) 1967 studio album by the 5th Dimension

Up – Up and Away is the debut album by the American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1967. The title track was released as a single and became a major pop hit.

<i>The Magic Garden</i> 1967 studio album by the 5th Dimension

The Magic Garden is the second album by the American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1967. A concept album, it tells the story of a couple's love and the end of their relationship. In more recent discussions of the album, that love affair is said to be about Jimmy Webb — who composed all but one of the album's songs — and his time with singer and then-girlfriend Susan Horton. The album's one track not credited to Jimmy Webb, a cover of Lennon–McCartney's "Ticket to Ride", was originally intended for the group's debut album, Up, Up and Away.

<i>Stoned Soul Picnic</i> (The 5th Dimension album) 1968 studio album by the 5th Dimension

Stoned Soul Picnic is the third album by the American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1968. Early versions of the album had a lyric sheet inserted in the sleeve.

<i>Portrait</i> (The 5th Dimension album) 1970 studio album by the 5th Dimension

Portrait is the fifth album by the American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1970. This is the group's first album for Bell Records, having switched from the Soul City Records label. The cover features an impressionistic portrait by famous artist LeRoy Neiman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In</span> 1969 single by the 5th Dimension

"Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In " is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical Hair by James Rado and Gerome Ragni (lyrics), and Galt MacDermot (music), released as a single by American R&B group the 5th Dimension. The song spent six weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in the spring of 1969 and was eventually certified platinum in the US by the RIAA. Instrumental backing was written by Bill Holman and provided by a group of session musicians commonly known as "the Wrecking Crew".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilyn McCoo</span> American singer, actress, television presenter (born 1943)

Marilyn McCoo is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group the 5th Dimension as well as hosting the 1980s music television show Solid Gold.

<i>Loves Lines, Angles and Rhymes</i> 1971 studio album by the 5th Dimension

Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes is the sixth album by the American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1971. The title song had been recorded originally by Diana Ross the previous year. It reached #17 on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart and became the band's third consecutive album to be certified Gold.

<i>Reflections</i> (The 5th Dimension album) 1971 compilation album by the 5th Dimension

Reflections is a compilation album by the American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1971. It contains songs from while the band was recording for Soul City Records. It includes four songs that were originally released as A-side singles, although only one was a Top 20 hit. Bell Records released Greatest Hits on Earth the following year, which would include The 5th Dimension's biggest hits from both current label Bell Records and prior label Soul City Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Townson</span> American singer

Ronald Townson was an American vocalist. He was an original member of the 5th Dimension, a popular vocal group of the late 1960s and early 1970s; he is the only original member of the group who is no longer living.

"California Soul" is a funk-soul tune written by Ashford & Simpson, issued originally as the B-side of the Messengers' single "Window Shopping" in 1967 under the Motown group of labels.

"Wedding Bell Blues" is a song written and recorded by Laura Nyro in 1966. The best known version was a number one hit for the 5th Dimension in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Davis Jr.</span> American singer

Billy Davis Jr. is an American singer and musician, best known as a member of the 5th Dimension. Along with his wife Marilyn McCoo, he had hit records during 1976 and 1977 with "I Hope We Get to Love in Time", "Your Love", and "You Don't Have to Be a Star ". Davis and McCoo were married in 1969. They became the first African-American married couple to host a network television series, titled The Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. Show, on CBS in the summer of 1977, the year "You Don't Have to Be a Star " won a Grammy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoned Soul Picnic (song)</span> 1968 single by The 5th Dimension

"Stoned Soul Picnic" is a 1968 song by Laura Nyro. The best-known version of the song was recorded by the 5th Dimension, and was the first single released from their album of the same title. It was the most successful single from that album, reaching No. 3 on the U.S. Pop chart and No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart. It became a platinum record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamonte McLemore</span> American vocalist

Lamonte McLemore is an American vocalist, composer, and photographer. He was a founding member of The 5th Dimension, a popular vocal group of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence LaRue</span> American actress and singer (born 1942)

Florence LaRue is an American singer and actress, best known as an original member of the 5th Dimension.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (The 5th Dimension album) 1970 greatest hits album by the 5th Dimension

Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1970 by Soul City. It includes all but two of their charting singles to date: "Go Where You Wanna Go", their first Top 20 record in the USA, would appear on the follow-up compilation, The July 5th Album, released later that year, while "Another Day, Another Heartache" was not included on either compilation. Greatest Hits and The July 5 Album were the final two album releases for Soul City Records' distribution deal with Liberty Records. The 5th Dimension subsequently signed with Bell Records. The album peaked at no. 5 on Billboard's Top LP's chart in the summer of 1970, achieving gold record status.

<i>The July 5th Album</i> 1970 compilation album by the 5th Dimension

The July 5 Album is the second compilation album by American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1970 by Soul City. It is composed primarily of album tracks from amongst the group's four albums of original material for Soul City Records, many of which were B-sides to charting singles. It also includes the group's first top 20 single, a cover of the Mamas & the Papas hit "Go Where You Wanna Go". Choosing that single, and seeing it become successful, became something of a mixed blessing for The 5th Dimension, as they were frequently referred to in the media as "The Black Mamas & the Papas", a label the group sought to escape while creating their own unique identity.

<i>Individually & Collectively</i> 1972 studio album by the 5th Dimension

Individually and Collectively is the seventh album of original material by American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1972. The album peaked at No. 58 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart on June 24, 1972. This album includes both of the group's final top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart — "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" and "If I Could Reach You". Both feature lead vocals by Marilyn McCoo.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Huey, Steve. "The 5th Dimension Biography". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ "The 5th Dimension Biography".
  3. 1 2 Staff (August 11, 2016). "The story of the 5th Dimension in five glorious songs". MeTV. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "The 5th Dimension Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ "The 5th Dimension". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 84/5. ISBN   0-85112-733-9.
  7. ↑ Smith, Danyel (2023). Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. Random House Publishing Group. p. 119. ISBN   9780593132739.
  8. ↑ "An Interview with The 5th Dimension's Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., Starring in "The Colors of Christmas" at New Brunswick's State Theatre". Spotlight Central. November 21, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  9. ↑ "The Musicradio Top 100 of 1969". WABC. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  10. ↑ Greene, Bryan (June 2017). "Parks and Recreation: Harlem at a Crossroads in the Summer of '69". Poverty and Race Research Action Council.
  11. ↑ "It's Time to Take the 5th". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. Vol. LXXXIX.
  12. ↑ Terry Whittier (May 20, 2005). "THE BOOTLEG FILES: "BURT BACHARACH IN SHANGRI-LA" | Film Threat". Filmthreat.com. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  13. ↑ "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour". The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. Season 1. Episode 4. February 22, 1971. CBS.
  14. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 195. ISBN   0-7535-0149-X.
  15. ↑ "Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension: A Brief Biography" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 30, 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
  16. ↑ "5th Dimension's Florence LaRue charms sold-out crowds at Savannah Center". Villages-News.com. June 22, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  17. ↑ Uitti, Jacob (October 5, 2021). "The 5th Dimension's Florence LaRue Talks New Memoir, Band History, and Eartha Kitt". American Songwriter. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  18. ↑ "The 5th Dimension – Inductees – The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation". Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  19. ↑ "St. Louis Walk of Fame – The 5th Dimension". St. Louis Walk of Fame. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  20. ↑ "LaMonte McLemore". IMDb. Retrieved November 10, 2012.

Bibliography

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