As posted on LaMonte’s Facebook Page:
Fans & friends, this is LaMonte McLemore’s biographer, Robert-Allan Arno, taking a special moment to “curate” as we say these days, Mac’s page. Today, Sept 17 is his birthday. I have had the pleasure of growing up with The Original 5th Dimension as my personal heroes on many levels, and LaMonte is someone I have gotten to know intensively this past decade as we’ve worked on his inspiring, now hit memoir, “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension,” plus a wide array of social media endeavors and media appearances. The spirit of excellence “The 5th” always stood for was manifested by its founder, LaMonte. His keen “visionary eye” has so much to do with seeing the best in people, and not taking “no” until they see it for themselves and then realize their true potential. For all my accomplishments as an actor/announcer and teacher, it was Mac who stepped forward to edify my gifts in new ways. I’m sure, you too have a similar story. Right?
Whether you’ve sung on “parallel stages” to LaMonte’s harmonies, played baseball with him, been beautifully photographed by him, befriended by and inevitably made to laugh by him, whether you’re an eternal fan of “Champagne Soul”…his elemental kindness has changed lives. It’s what his cherished Grandma Gertrude always taught him as a young boy, and it’s his lifetime motto: “We’re only in this world to help one another.” Please join me on this thread, on this page, to salute an artist, a singer, songwriter, photographer, an ultimate humanitarian on the occasion of his birthday. With Love, my big brother, and wishes for God’s continued abundant blessings, I say “Happy Birthday, LaMonte!” –“Rev. Arno”
Fans & friends, go to CD Baby right now, to hear a sample of & purchase for download LaMonte’s new sweet-Soul, harmonic dance tune, I WISH I COULD FALL IN LOVE at this link:
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/lamontemclemore2
Mac’s hit memoir, now in its 2nd Edition, recommended by Johnny Mathis and Nancy Sinatra! FROM HOBO FLATS TO THE 5TH DIMENSION, available at Amazon:
McLemore adds,”It’s definitely the right time to present ‘Cease Fire’ as a fully-actualized song and in fact, my producer/arranger Lloyd Tolbert encouraged me to bookend the recording with my spoken-word narration.” The beloved star continues, “Years ago when the term ‘weapons of mass destruction’ was heavily in the news and it turned out they really didn’t exist, it became a light bulb moment for me. I thought, perhaps they did…as in ‘look in the mirror, friends!'” McLemore feels, “More than ever, ‘Cease Fire’ is what the world needs today.” He’s quick to stress his song’s concept is a “global call for world peace,” envisioning it as kind of nouveau “We Are the World.” Performed on the CD single by the sweet-soul vocalist Julio Hanson, along with McLemore’s spoken narrative, “Cease Fire” is a mighty anthem.
No stranger to anthems of a generation, McLemore and The 5th Dimension are responsible for mega hits like the uplifting “Up-Up and Away” and the unifying “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” the latter, a medley from Broadway’s HAIR. Spending 6-straight weeks at #1 in the spring of ‘69, the Platinum “mash-up” is known as one of the biggest hits of the Rock n’ Roll era. “Cease Fire” isn’t McLemore’s first foray into songwriting. Fan favorites, “A Love Like Ours” and “The Singer” were penned by LaMonte and appeared on the quintet’s seminal albums PORTRAIT and LOVE’S LINES, ANGLES AND RHYMES, respectively. Besides The 5th Dimension, the latter tune was also recorded by Gladys Knight and the Pips and was a serious recording consideration for Frank Sinatra. More recently, another McLemore composition, “If I Could Fly” was a contender for a major airline’s ad campaign. Mr. McLemore, also a world renowned photographer of 5 decades for JET magazine’s history-shaping “Beauty of the Week” feature, expressed to his biographer, “With my photos, I just see things. With songwriting, I just feel things.”
“Cease Fire” is available for download at: 
FOREVER 5TH DIMENSION 
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