Daily Archives: June 24, 2022

At Forever 5th Dimension we’re celebrating Billy’s birthday this coming Sunday, June 26…a few days early! This way, as we lead to the momentous day, you can savor our curated, Top 20 (plus!) solos by Billy at this YouTube link, tunes from every decade of his career. Have a “Billy Listening Party” courtesy of Forever 5th, here…we start with “Leave a Little Room”…just hit the player, it continues through song 25*!!:

Billy Davis, Jr. is truly an American treasure. The multi-Grammy winning soul stylist, with roots as lead singer of The Original 5th Dimension–along with his beautiful wife of soon-to-be 53 years and duet partner, Marilyn McCoo–has an instantly recognizable voice like no other. Fellow-Original 5th mate Florence LaRue declares, “No one sounds like Billy…he can break your heart!” And his best comrade, 5th-founder LaMonte McLemore punctuates his own memoir (“From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension’) acknowledging, “Billy’s lead on ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ says it all.” Mac adds, “Not to mention his ‘havin’ church’ on our biggest hit ‘Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.'” Yes, the man who implored the world to “Sing along with The 5th Dimension” invited us to share in his own harmonic journey….that of an incomparable legacy artist, a stellar showman, and an inspiring faith-based figure. Marilyn reminded Forever 5th Dimension, “Billy always says, ‘What comes from the heart goes to the heart.'” Heralded by the likes of Jimmy Webb (“Up-Up and Away”), Eddie Levert (The O’Jays) and Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire), Billy humbly summed up his talents disclosing this to me, “That’s not me…it’s God working through me!” Happy Birthday Billy, we love you & celebrate you with these memorable 20-plus solos!

~~Robert-Allan Arno, Forever 5th Dimension

• *Here’s the song list: 1. Leave a Little Room, 2. The Worst that Could Happen, 3. Speaking with My Heart, 4. Summer’s Daughter, 5. There Never Was a Day, 6. Feelin’ Alright?, 7. I Got a Feelin’, 8. Three Steps from True Love, 9. You’re Good Enough for Me, 10. Silly Love Songs, 11. It’ll Never Be the Same Again, 12. Let It Be Me, 13. Misty Roses, 14. The Singer, 15. Broken Wing Bird,16. Rosecrans Blvd., 17. Requiem: 8:20 Latham, 18. A Change is Gonna Come/People Gotta be Free, 19. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In, 20. Ticket to Ride, 21. Someone is Standing Outside, 22. Help!, 23. (New, From the Vaults!) Hi-Di-Ho, 24. The Love of God, 25. Let the Sunshine In (Reprise)

Main Billy photo courtesy Deniserose Torres Collection

Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno, a production of The Soul of The Voice, Ltd., copyright 2008-2022, intellectual property, all rights reserved