Tag Archives: Florence LaRue

It’s a Florence LaRue Celebration

Posted on February 4, 2022 | Leave a comment

Dateline Feb 4: The day possesses a special brand of magic for Florence LaRue fans the world over, for it’s the birthday of our “delightful diva!” It’s been a special year for Florence with the release of her inspirational life & style book, “Grace in Your Second Act” and an accompanying media tour. And Florence’s enthusiasm in being part of the docu-film blockbuster “Summer of Soul” underscores another highlight. Not to mention continuing to lead The 5th Dimension to sold-out crowds on multi-season tours, navigating smoothly through pandemic safety. Personally, I cannot forget the charming way I celebrated my own birthday in August, as guest of Florence at one of the group’s east coast concerts. The crucifix I proudly wear around my neck is something she gifted me with for the occasion and marks the thoughtfulness, care and faith my dear friend and the world’s legendary icon stands for. And now our “Florence Celebration” prevails at this FOREVER 5th DIMENSION link as her musical colleagues and the fans weigh in, with an in-depth biographical tribute, updated for 2022: –Robert-Allan Arno

Florence LaRue: Celebrating a Delightful Diva’s Birthday

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Honoring Black History Month

Posted on February 1, 2022 | Leave a comment

Happy #BlackHistoryMonth from Forever 5th Dimension. We begin with The 5th Dimension‘s medley of “A Change is Gonna Come” with “People Gotta be Free.” This tour-de-force mashup that’s forever in our hearts, comes from the seminal PORTRAIT project of 1970 where, as Marilyn McCoo recounted, “The 5th Dimension wanted to make our version of a protest album.” With one of our greatest Soul singers, Mr. Billy Davis, Jr. at the hub, Sam Cooke’s anthem of pathos and “defiant uplift” takes on a life of even greater magnitude. Coupled with “Free,” there is resolution in a way so specific to The 5th Dimension–that of unbridled joy and vibrant finesse–that the medley heralds the unique legacy of “The 5th,” itself during this special month.

~~Robert-Allan Arno

***Listen to the medley, video produced/music re-mastered by FOREVER 5th DIMENSION, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqC1yENvEMY

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

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“Summer of Soul” Soundtrack Brings Winter Sunshine!

Posted on January 24, 2022 | Leave a comment

Available this Friday Jan 28! Yes, the “Summer of Soul” Soundtrack will be available!! Due to popular request, hear all the songs featured in this multi-award-winning docu-movie, live, in their entirety! Hear The Original 5th Dimension Summer of ’69 onstage at the Harlem Cultural Festival with a vibrant n’ funky “Don’t Cha Hear Me Callin’ To Ya,” and their smash #1, “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.” Order at Amazon, Target and all major sellers. Here’s the official track list with FOREVER 5th DIMENSION’s kudos to Questlove, The 5th Dimension‘s original members–Florence, #MarilynBilly and LaMonte (and remembering our beloved Ron “Sweets”) and all the artists featured! ~~Robert-Allan Arno

1. The Chambers Brothers – “Uptown”
2. B.B. King – “Why I Sing The Blues”
3. The 5th Dimension – “Don’t Cha Hear Me Callin’ To Ya”
4. The 5th Dimension – “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)”
5. David Ruffin – “My Girl”
6. The Edwin Hawkins Singers – “Oh Happy Day”
7. The Staple Singers – “It’s Been A Change”
8. The Operation Breadbasket Orchestra & Choir Featuring Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples – “Precious Lord Take My Hand”
9. Gladys Knight & The Pips – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”
10. Mongo Santamaria – “Watermelon Man”
11. Ray Barretto – “Together”
12. Herbie Mann- “Hold On, I’m Comin’”
13. Sly & The Family Stone – “Sing A Simple Song”
14. Sly & The Family Stone – “Everyday People”
15. Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach – “Africa”
16. Nina Simone – “Backlash Blues”
17. Nina Simone – “Are You Ready”

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

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The 5th Dimension score big on Rewound Radio’s Top 77 Year-end Survey!

Posted on December 30, 2021 | Leave a comment
The Original 5th Dimension (Arno 5th Legacy Collection)

#RightOn! FOREVER 5th DIMENSION is pleased to report that in Rewound Radio’s (the #1 Oldies Internet Radio Station) year-end Top 77 All Time Hits Listener Voted Survey, The 5th Dimension scored 5 hits: “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “Up-Up and Away,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.” Thank you, fans & friends, for casting your votes, and to Program Director Allan Sniffen who shows such great respect for The 5th Dimension legacy, all year through. Listen to Rewound through New Year’s Day to hear the Top 77, and guess what? LaMonte McLemore, Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, and Billy Davis, Jr. intro the 5th hits, themselves, with fresh ID’s that I was so pleased to coordinate with the stars & Rewound!! ~~Robert-Allan Arno

Listen to Rewound Radio here: www.RewoundRadio.com

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A Bounty of Merry “5th-Mas” Musical Gifts!

Posted on December 18, 2021 | Leave a comment

EnJOY our updated-for-2021 comprehensive guide to the holiday music of the members of The Original 5th Dimension, featuring latest song entries, exclusive quotes given to Forever 5th Dimension from the stars, and fun photos!

At this Forever 5th Dimension link:

https://forever5thdimension.com/2015/12/19/merry-5th-mas-viewing/

Joyful Christmas Blessings to fans, friends & family the world over and special thanks to the stars, Marilyn & Billy, Florence, and LaMonte, plus their respective management. ~~Robert-Allan Arno

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Florence LaRue: A Delightful Spotlight

Posted on December 5, 2021 | Leave a comment

Enjoy this sweet celebratory interview with the Rock n’ Soul era’s eternal sweetheart, Florence LaRue. The delightful diva talks “Summer of Soul,” her new lifestyle book “Grace in Your Second Act,” and much more. Watch her Celebrity Page spotlight, here:

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Florence & The 5th Dimension Tour!

Posted on October 10, 2021 | Leave a comment

While vivacious 6-time Grammy award winning Florence LaRue continues a successful media tour for her new book, “Grace in Your Second Act” (available at Amazon), Florence & The 5th Dimension (Patrice, Floyd, Leonard & Sidney) are booked in concert through 2022…with more dates upcoming! And kudos, their early October Florida tour was a sold-out affair! Check out their itinerary including a cruise ship, Niagara Falls & Atlantic City…and a concert near you! 🙂 Join Florence & The 5th Dimension for an evening (or afternoon!) of Champagne Soul…all the greatest hits, choreography and special surprises, too!

Patrice of The 5th Dimension shares her personal tour sheet…with us! Don’t miss The 5th Dimension feat. Florence LaRue…coming to a city near you!
Florence’s new book, available at Amazon!

For official tour schedule of The 5th Dimension go to this link: http://5thdimensionlive.com/calendar/

Visit Florence at: http://www.florencelarue.com

(Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno, a production of The Soul of The Voice, Ltd., all rights reserved, copyright 2008-2021)

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Happy Birthday LaMonte McLemore: A 2021 Update

Posted on September 17, 2021 | Leave a comment

From LaMonte’s Facebook page…

Dateline September 17: Today is a sweet celebration, the birthday of the one & only LaMonte McLemore. Some know him worldwide as the multi-Grammy winning “mellow bass” and stylish, visionary founder of legends, The 5th Dimension. Others know him as the premier freelance photographer for JET magazine’s trailblazing Beauty of the Week feature. In your own life’s journey, you may have been in a 5th Dimension sold-out audience, modeled for & been photographed by him, or played a cool game of softball sharing the field. And everyone who has had a personal “moment with Mac” is made to feel special because LaMonte has a knack for seeing everyone’s individual “greatest hit!”

About 2 years ago, LaMonte suffered a stroke. May this greeting also serve as an update, since many of you have inquired. He is progressing well and via this message reaches out to each of you to say “Right on,” and even remember your own birthdays! Like you, LaMonte was thrilled with The 5th Dimension’s appearance in this summer’s Indy film blockbuster, “Summer of Soul.” And he appreciated your sympathies at the passing of his cherished “Mama June” at age 106, this past year. And guess what? Something you probably know…LaMonte always “keeps on steppin’!” He will soon announce some very exciting new projects he & his team have been working on, always pleasing friends, fans, and family!

We appreciate LaMonte’s capacity 5,000 Facebook friends here, we keep his page fresh and up-to-date with not only rare photos & select memories but current events…and making it inclusive, supporting the projects of the other members of The Original 5th Dimension, the married team of Marilyn & Billy, plus Florence & The current 5th Dimension…we call them “5th Family.”  And in that family spirit, LaMonte, Mieko and myself, his biographer & social media curator/media spokesman love putting our heads together to bring you our lively best.

So please leave your birthday greetings for LaMonte…he will certainly enjoy reading them and sends you his love & blessings on his special day!  ~~Robert-Allan Arno

LaMonte’s memoir as-told-to Robert-Allan Arno, “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension” is available at Amazon, here: https://www.amazon.com/Hobo-Flats-5th-Dimension-Photography/dp/0692307362

(Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno, a production of The Soul of The Voice, Ltd., copyright 2008-21, intellectual property, all rights reserved)

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A Breathtaking Florence Chats with Judge Harvey!

Posted on August 24, 2021 | Leave a comment

Our “delightful diva,” Florence LaRue is on an exciting multi-media book tour for “Grace in Your Second Act” and one of her first stops may just be one of her best. I was so pleased to help orchestrate her all-encompassing chat with my good friend, the wise and compassionate esteemed Judge Harvey Brownstone. When he’s not in his robes, banging a judicious gavel, he is becoming one of our top interviewers. Here’s my review of “the festivities” with Florence:

Absolutely stellar, Harvey! Florence LaRue is a true sweetheart of the Rock n’ Roll (and Champagne Soul!) era…here, her light shines in a way we have all come to know and love. As someone who personally knows Florence and has been honored to work on projects with her & The 5th Dimension, I found myself not only beaming as I enjoyed the dynamic you two shared but objectively moved by Florence’s inspirational wisdom, it literally brought tears of joy (and insight) to my eyes. “A-plus” for you both…this interview is a definitive blessing. –Robert-Allan Arno, “Forever 5th Dimension”

Enjoy the interview on YouTube:

(Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno, a production of The Soul of The Voice, Ltd., intellectual property, all rights reserved, copyright 2008-2021)

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Summer of Champagne Soul: Our FOREVER 5th DIMENSION Top 5!

Posted on July 14, 2021 | Leave a comment

FOREVER 5th DIMENSION presents the Top 5 for Summer of 2021 for your listening, reading & viewing pleasure–in no necessary order…they’re all spectacular with kudos to Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr., Florence LaRue and LaMonte McLemore. Oh, and don’t forget our exclusive online magazine interview with Marilyn & Billy coming for their 52nd wedding anniversary, the end of July! OK, let’s countdown…or count up “Up and Away!”

  1. Marilyn & Billy‘s latest CD, “Blackbird: Lennon/McCartney Icons” is a statement piece in their recording legacy. Our “MarBill” add their inimitable approach with freshness, and a distinct Civil Rights bent to the music of Lennon/McCartney. Critically, celebrity and fan-acclaimed, available at Amazon here: Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons by Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. on Amazon Music – Amazon.com
  2. I just reviewed Florence‘s new book “Grace in Your Second Act– A Guide to Aging Gracefully” (see our previous Forever 5th article) and I am still marveling at the amount of research and anecdotal information our “delightful diva” has compiled. It’s an important self-help & faith-based book with strategies that are practical, revelation-al, and oftentimes cute, poignant and celebrity-inspired. Read it “On the Beach (In the Summertime),” available at Amazon here: Grace in Your Second Act: A Guide to Aging Gracefully: LaRue, Florence, Paschall, Jenny: 9781664227088: Amazon.com: Books
  3. LaMonte‘s hit memoir “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension,” now in its 2nd edition, and something I am so honored to have co-written with Mac, is one hip literary trip. Recommended by Johnny Mathis, Nancy Sinatra, Otis Williams of the Temptations, more, LaMonte talks music history, Black history, and shares the secrets that made The 5th Dimension harmonic unifiers–bringing together generations, races and crossing record chart boundaries. Lots of laughs and celeb anecdotes…as only “Mac” can tell a story! Available at Amazon…another great beach read!: Amazon.com: From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension: A Life Fulfilled in Baseball, Photography and Music (9780692307366): McLemore, LaMonte, Arno, Robert-Allan: Books
  4. The Ultimate 5th Dimension CD reviewed as “the best-sounding, best-annotated anthology”​ of the quintet by All Music Guide is a 21 song overview of The 5th’s recorded hit magic. And yes, I was so proud to compile the tunes with mega-producer Bones Howe for this project and write the extensive liners. Ultimate is a perennial AND back on the charts due to the “5th resurgence” created by “Summer of Soul,” and now at the “nice price,” at Amazon: The 5th Dimension – Ultimate 5th Dimension – Amazon.com Music
  5. Last by not least, “Summer of Soul” is the hit docu-film of the summer! Producer Questlove unearthed countless pristine celluloid hours of African American musical luminaries performing at The Harlem Cultural Festival, circa 1969. Akin to a “Black Woodstock,” Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Mahalia Jackson, Sly & The Family Stone, and more took to the stage before hundreds of thousands. The #1 song of the day (and the year for that matter), actually a “mash-up” of “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” courtesy of Broadway’s HAIR, performed with verve and optimistic joy by a brightly attired The 5th Dimension (Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue, Billy Davis, Jr., Ron Townson and McLemore) is one of the movie’s centerpieces. As biographer of The Original 5th Dimension and Mr. McLemore, I stated to SoulTracks and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “To see The 5th Dimension on the big screen at the apex of their career is thrilling for their many fans, more so it underscores the unexpected power of the group’s unique ebullient flavor.” Be sure to see “Summer of Soul” at a theater near you…or enjoy at home on Hulu! ~~Robert-Allan Arno

(Hit right arrow to experience slideshow!)

Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno, a production of The Soul of The Voice, Ltd., copyright 2008-21, intellectual property, all rights reserved

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