As LaMonte McLemore’s “as told to” author, I am so pleased to present this essay from Mac–my cherished “brother like no other”– on the blessed occasion of his birthday. –Robert
Friends, the beauty of today’s publishing world is I can “surry down” seven months after our “debut” that occurred perfectly on Valentine’s Day, and add this extra thank you to coincide with my birthday, today. Before we do a formal “addendum” to my memoir, I can share with you first at the FOREVER 5th DIMENSION Blog, it’s the way I like to celebrate–being grateful for a wonderful journey…and you! My biographer, Mr. Arno and I have toured with “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension” from Vegas (where Marilyn & Billy were our special guests) to New York City (at Ashford & Simpson’s cavernous Sugar Bar), with stops in between, and have enjoyed every single minute meeting fans and friends during our “informally informative” on-stage chat and meet n’ greet signings. The timing of this book was heaven-sent: my wife and I toasted our 20th anniversary in June, the same month we raised a glass to my mother, Mama June’s 101 years-young day. Not to mention, The 5th Dimension legacy has its 50th anniversary this October.
Because I’m retired from singing with The 5th, “Hobo Flats” has taken on new meaning. It’s the way I get to “woodshed” with fans about the music, learning how our songs individually affected your lives. Some of you have even warbled a few bars for me! Seriously, when a Vietnam Vet tells me he can never forget the feeling of hearing “Stoned Soul Picnic” for the first time on Armed Forces Radio, that our harmonies kept him connected to home while so far away, it surely warms my heart. When people tell me they learned to recite The Declaration of Independence in school because of The 5th Dimension’s recording, “The Declaration,” I’m inspired. When they cutely confess they’ve “adopted” my Grandma Gertrude and have gravitated toward her “Greatest Hits” life lesson tips summed up in our book’s appendix, well, I know she smiles from above. That’s why I continue to write news songs like “Cease Fire.”
Stay tuned for some special “Hobo Flats” happenings coming for the holiday season! Keep dreaming your dreams, friends, and take it from Mac, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
—LaMonte McLemore, September 17, 2015
“From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension: A Life Fulfilled in Baseball, Photography and Music” by LaMonte McLemore as told to Robert-Allan Arno, the newly revised edition with LaMonte’s book tour observations & more will be available on Amazon the week of Sept. 28 at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692307362
FOREVER 5TH DIMENSION 
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