Celebrating our 18th Year! A TRIBUTE TO THE MULTI-GRAMMY WINNING LEGENDARY STARS of THE ORIGINAL 5TH DIMENSION, Curated by Biographer, Robert-Allan Arno ~~ History & Current Events, Exclusive Quotes & Interviews, Rare Photo Collection! Recommended by McCoo/Davis, LaRue & McLemore!
#TuesdayToDo#VoteRewound Happy New Month, fans & friends! Our good friends at the top internet oldies radio station, Rewound Radio are conducting their exciting annual Top 77 of all-time survey. Program Director Allan Sniffen has been so kind to the legacy of The 5th Dimension & so many other legendary groups & singers. And now it’s your chance to support Rewound and your favorite artists & songs of the Rock n’ Soul era. Vote for your Top 10…it’s fun n’ easy…at this link. Results will play Christmas to New Year week on Rewound! Vote here: https://musicradio77.com/voting2020.html
It is with great solemnity we report that LaMonte McLemore’s cherished mother, known warmly by all as “Mama June” has passed away peacefully at age 106. Mama June had remained the only surviving parent of the members of The Original 5th Dimension. Always beautifully groomed & attired, and wonderfully wise, LaMonte proudly shared in his memoir, “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension,” and with many an interviewer: “Don’t let the homespun name fool you…my ever-glamorous Mama June’s memory is better than yours and mine, combined…she’s as sharp as a tack!” Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. expressed on the occasion of her centennial birthday: “Mama June is one of the true gems in our lives, she’s always been full of joy, love, and acceptance for all–a true treasure.” Florence LaRue made a special appearance at Mama June’s 105th birthday celebration in St. Louis delivering a prayer and song in her honor. LaMonte’s biographer, Robert-Allan Arno states: “Mama June possessed a warm godly light—not only coming from inside but surrounding her—that was simply breathtaking when in her presence.”
June McLemore (1914-2020) lived through many decades, eras, US presidents, and positive changes in Civil Rights. She always embraced a “can-do” spirit of diligence, grace, optimism, fairness, and inclusivity through it all, attributes that are reflected in the ethos of The 5th Dimension’s harmoniously uplifting hits like “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” and “Up-Up and Away.” The McLemore family states, “She was elated to witness our first Black president and lived to see our first Black woman, South Asian vice president-elect.”
Mama June McLemore, 1914-2020
Mama June is also survived by her daughter Joan and numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren. Visitation and funeral services will be held privately in her hometown of St. Louis. The family thanks fans for their outpouring of sympathetic sentiments on Mr. McLemore’s Facebook page.
With appreciation to the publications: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch,” “Soul Tracks,” and “Backbeat R & B Magazine” for their special tributes to Mama June.
Mama June’s presence will be greatly missed, yet “Earth hath no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.” —Robert-Allan Arno for LaMonte McLemore
From LaMonte McLemore, founding member of The 5th Dimension:
Dateline Sept 30: Today is the birthday of a lovely lady whose voice is woven so beautifully into the tapestry of American Pop-Soul Culture…as equally beautiful as she is! Yes, let’s wish my forever friend, my colleague in The Original 5th Dimension, Ms. Marilyn McCoo a #HappyBirthday. Can’t you just hear her rich, lilting, and sometimes soaring tones with “One Less Bell,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “Love’s Line’s, Angles & Rhymes,” “Never My Love,” “If I Could Reach You,” and “Last Night I Didn’t Get to Sleep,” reflecting her recorded “vocal solos” with The 5th! Marilyn just celebrated her 51st wedding anniversary with Billy Davis, Jr., and today we honor her special day with Love & God’s blessings…
~~LaMonte McLemore, as told to Robert-Allan Arno
Birthday Bonus! Go to the ComingTogether site to get a free copy of Marilyn’s latest inspirationally-based solo, “My Tribute” (To God Be the Glory) here: www.coming2gether.net.
Dateline Sept. 17: It’s #LaMonteDay with a Special Update: Today is an incredibly momentous day, the birthday of a gentleman we all respect and love: LaMonte McLemore. The world knows him as the founder & “mellow bass” of The Original 5th Dimension, Pop-Soul 6-time Grammy-winning royalty that blazed trails “Up-Up and Away” through the “Age of Aquarius.” Their “Champagne Soul” is still relevant and ever uplifting. The world also knows him as the premier freelance photographer for JET magazine…his “Beauty of the Week” feature edified the loveliness of Black women and helped make historic shifts in the pop culture. But we who know “Mac” through his friendship or “familial being”—whether you’ve played softball with him, have posed as his model, have chatted warmly with him backstage, have been mentored and encouraged by his visionary eye for talent, and so many instances more —know a man of abounding compassion, kindness, humor, and his motto: “We are only in this world to help one another”—something his prophetic Grandma Gertrude always instilled .
Approximately one year ago, Mac suffered a stroke and we wanted to keep you, his fans, friends & family informed…and his birthday is a perfect time to bring you up-to-date. LaMonte—along with his luminous, diligent wife Mieko each step of the way—has worked tirelessly, making great strides this past year with the latest advances in physical and speech therapy, and so much more. Mieko shares, “We have made every day a new adventure, and our hearts have been continually warmed by so many caring people we’ve met along the way.” From celebrating simple sunsets at Christmastime, to Mama June’s 106th birthday this June (LaMonte’s cherished mom), to watching the new Civil Rights movement unfold this springtime, and taking healthy summertime strolls while others have marched, Mac with Mieko has continued to blaze trails with courage, smiles and a can-do spirit…characteristics LaMonte has always represented. And here on his lively Facebook page of 5,000 followers, we love bringing you all sorts of memories and acknowledging current milestones. It’s part of LaMonte’s “vital vibe,” and as his biographer and social media curator, I am so proud to do so, confabbing with Mac & Mieko regularly…it is a special 3-way bond I am so happy to mention in this birthday salute.
LaMonte expresses to you with that “famous twinkle” in his eyes, “Thank you EVERYONE for your heartfelt wishes, prayers, the good times we continue to share…and sometimes, difficult things like the pandemic…where we still see the hope for a brighter day.” LaMonte continues, “Can I end with a joke? Grandma always used to say: ‘The sun rises and sets for everyone…we’re the only ones who screw it up in between!’ So on my birthday I say, don’t screw it up! Seriously, let us continue in joy and with love for one another.”
And with Mac having those final golden words, please join us here with your birthday wishes for this legendary man…our friend…our family…our role model. —Robert-Allan Arno for “Team LaMonte”(as published on LaMonte McLemore’s Facebook page)
Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr.–the 1st Couple of Pop n’ Soul bring this message:
“Happy Birthday, Mac! Man, you’re getting up there; well we all are! 🙂 Do you remember when The 5th Dimension used to joke about one day all of us rolling around onstage in our wheelchairs singing ‘Up-Up & Away’?!’ 🙂 We’re wishing you a beautiful day of celebration and we’ll see you soon!” Love, Billy & Marilyn; P. S. Love to Mieko
#SunshineSunday Wishing you a happy, peaceful Labor Day weekend as we pray for our essential workers and those who are unemployed. Along with this classic “flower cart reflection” of The Original 5th Dimension, we provide the link to our performance on the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day telephone. We had just completed a major summer tour and were so happy to be there with “Light Sings,” “Never My Love,” and more so to help an important cause for Muscular Dystrophy. What seems like yesterday was 49 years ago! Yet it is always the right time to reach out and help one another. ❤ ~~LaMonte & Team
From LaMonte McLemore’s FB page: Dateline Aug 15 — Happy Birthday to our dear friend, our historic colleague, the poetically profound musical genius that made us soar “Up-Up and Away”…Mr. Jimmy Webb. And who can forget “The Magic Garden” album…or “Earthbound,” two of Jimmy’s masterpieces for us? Here we are, The Original 5th Dimension with Jimmy at the Grammys where “Up-Up and Away” was a multi-winner.
Let’s celebrate with the “Jimmy Webb Medley” from “The 5th Dimension: Live”…
Listen & enjoy here: https://youtu.be/zvYUWvK2HXg
#ThrowbackThursday Here’s a treat from our good pal Arnie Lee, an acclaimed photographer who was a pretty ingenious “student photog” when he took these now, iconic shots of The Original 5th Dimension circa ’71 performing at the Dr. Martin Luther King Benefit Concert at Eastern Michigan University. Some of them are at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture alongside of the fringed jacked LaMonte McLemore donated!
Photos Courtesy Arnie Lee Collection, all rights reserved
Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno, a production of The Soul of The Voice, Ltd., copyright 1998-2020, all rights reserved
Happy Birthday Billy Davis, Jr. — His Greatest Solos!
Dateline June 26: 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 51 years, Marilyn McCoo, has an instantly recognizable voice like no other. Fellow-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 reminds, “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 sums up his talents best of all, “That’s not me…it’s God working through me!”
Dateline June 24: On the occasion of his birthday, FOREVER 5th DIMENSION honors the beloved artist Kenneth Green who we recently lost due to complications of Covid-19. The remembrance posted on LaMonte McLemore’s page a few weeks ago, expresses our sentiments so well:
Portrait of LaMonte McLemore by Kenneth Green
Today’s post is in memory of New York City artist, singer and special fan & friend of The 5th Dimension, Mr. Kenneth Green who we just learned passed away from complications of Covid-19 last month. According to my biographer, Robert-Allan Arno, Kenny got his original inspiration to be a sketch artist and portrait painter from our 5th Dimension: PORTRAIT album– with those amazing drawings by the renowned Leroy Neiman. Robert commissioned Kenny to paint my portrait and then come surprise me at my NYC book event 5 years ago, the onstage talk show & signing for my memoir “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension” held at the charming Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar. Here is the portrait–unsigned version–Kenny did of me, then us happily posing together with it signed…it is timeless just like Kenny’s eternally sweet and talented spirit and the warm memory of knowing him.
Kenneth Green, LaMonte McLemore holding Kenny’s signed artwork, and Robert-Allan Arno
My lovely wife Mieko adds, “We remember Mr. Green fondly and are so sorry to learn of his passing. His portrait of LaMonte sits proudly in our Las Vegas home.” ~~♥ Mieko & LaMonte McLemore
For their 40th wedding anniversary, Kenny also portrayed Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr…something FOREVER 5th DIMENSION was so pleased to use in our social media…
“Earth hath no sorrow that heaven can not heal”….we will always remember the magical artistic muse of, and endearing, caring soul that is Kenneth Green. —Robert-Allan Arno
“Days of Our Lives” is welcoming back Marilyn McCoo (Tamara Price) and Billy Davis, Jr. (Billy) for another wedding
From SoapCentral.com & FOREVER 5th DIMENSION:
Wedding bells are ringing once again in Salem, and with the harmonious sound comes the return of two legendary entertainers. 7-time Grammy Award winners, the married team of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. will be heading back to “Days of Our Lives.”
Ms. McCoo is reprising her role as Tamara Price — former flame of Abe Carver (James Reynolds) and mother to Lani Price (Sal Stowers) — on Monday, June 29. Her appearance comes just in time for Lani’s second wedding to Eli (Lamon Archey), the first which was “blown up” by Gabi (Camila Banus) in November. Mr. Davis will reprise his role as Eli’s former FBI mentor, Billy, that same day. The couple previously appeared for Eli and Lani’s first wedding last fall. Marilyn originally appeared as Tamara in the mid-1980’s.
—Robert-Allan Arno for “Team LaMonte” (as published on LaMonte McLemore’s Facebook page)
🙂 Do you remember when The 5th Dimension used to joke about one day all of us rolling around onstage in our wheelchairs singing ‘Up-Up & Away’?!’ 
From LaMonte McLemore’s FB page: Dateline Aug 15 — Happy Birthday to our dear friend, our historic colleague, the poetically profound musical genius that made us soar “Up-Up and Away”…Mr. Jimmy Webb. And who can forget “The Magic Garden” album…or “Earthbound,” two of Jimmy’s masterpieces for us? Here we are, The Original 5th Dimension with Jimmy at the Grammys where “Up-Up and Away” was a multi-winner.
FOREVER 5TH DIMENSION 
You must be logged in to post a comment.