Welcome to our “Stoned Soul” springtime review! As always, we immeasurably thank Marilyn & Billy...Florence & The 5th Dimension…and LaMonte for their enthusiastic contributions & support…we celebrate our 10th anniversary of FOREVER 5th DIMENSION in late July with some tasty “special events!” And to you, the worldwide fans, our appreciation for making this near-decade of “5th-fabulousness” a global adventure! Let’s catch up…
Marilyn & Billy started the new year with something they had looked forward to for a long time….a trip to Africa. They shared their journey on Twitter & Facebook (official)–starting in front of Nelson Mandela’s statue in Pretoria “with his arms open to the word” and ending at a Namibian village where they were warmly embraced. Along the way, snapping shots of the charming African penguins at Boulders Beach…elephants, baboons, giraffes, “We just loved how all the species seemed to live in harmony!” smiled MarBill.
On Twitter @mccoodavis–which I’m so proud to curate–Marilyn & Billy and I have put our heads together to bring you new features like #TuesdayGroove, #FashionFriday and #SundaySunshine! Recently, excitement was in the air when our duo congratulated James Reynolds on receiving the prestigious Daytime Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Many of you recall that Marilyn played the saucy, mysterious songstress “Tamara Price” on “Days of Our Lives” in the ’80’s, opposite Mr. Reynolds. Since their characters’ daughter, “Lani” has recently entered “Salem,” as played by the lovely Sal Stowers, fans are clamoring for an onscreen reunion between mother and daughter. We shall see!
(Pictured, Marilyn with James Reynolds mid-80’s; Marilyn meets Sal Stowers, this past Thanksgiving eve, LA Mission) And remember, we celebrate Billy’s birthday on June 26! Just in per MarBill’s Management: “Our friends at SiriusXM recorded Marilyn & Billy’s latest Soul Train Cruise performance along with a sit-down interview, which will air on Sunday, June 17 (Father’s Day) at 6pm EST on Channel 49–Soul Town.”
Florence LaRue and The 5th Dimension simply sell-out wherever they tour! The family-oriented, ever sparkling Champagne Soul magic never ends with the vibrant Ms. LaRue in the lead–our “Delightful Diva” makes sure each show brings authentic harmonies, eye-catching costumes & choreography, warm patter, audience participation, and ALL the many, many hits! Check out the group’s constantly-building touring schedule for ’18 at this link and remember, tix sell-out quickly! Just in! Huge congratulations to Florence & The 5th Dimension for their outdoor concert performance in front of 10,000-plus fans on Sat. June 9 at the Manalapan, New Jersey festival! The group always looks forward to seeing YOU, the special fans:
http://5thdimensionlive.com/calendar/
Available at Amazon!
LaMonte…besides doing media in promotion of his popular 2nd edition memoir, “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension” and his “viral hit” for world peace, “Cease Fire”…playing softball daily…and snapping the most candid yet professional photos wherever he goes…Mac’s passion is traveling the world with his lovely wife Mieko. Recent forays have seen Mac & Mieko in India, the Holy Land, and visiting Japan. LaMonte shares, “The Holy Land is my all-time favorite…the peace of God and His spirit of unconditional love was palpable, it fills my heart…forever.” Mieko adds, “I wanted LaMonte to see Japan…where I grew up. There have been many changes but family and friends endure.” With a “Right on,” a truly touched Mac wants to thank all the fans for their continued enthusiasm. In fact, LaMonte’s cherished mother who we are all welcomed to call “Mama June,” celebrated her 104th birthday on June 3rd! The outpouring of messages from fans, friends and family was truly a thing to behold on Mac’s Facebook page!
LaMonte, Mieko and adorable Mama June…104 years young!
Oh, and Mr. McLemore has a new dance tune…Ms. “Fanny Fine” is coming your way any day…details will be added here!
50 Years! June is known as #BlackMusicMonth and we close this edition by honoring a 5 decade milestone! June ’68 marked the single release of #StonedSoulPicnic, bringing #TheOriginal5thDimension R&B chart success as they made Platinum with the genius of #LauraNyro. In that legacy tune’s joyful spirit, let’s all “surry” til the next time we meet! –Robert-Allan Arno
| Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno is a production of The Soul of The Voice Ltd., copyright 2008-18, Intellectual Property, All Rights Reserved. |
Happy New Year from FOREVER 5th DIMENSION!
Dear Robert, Fans & Friends:
Visit Florence LaRue’s lovely updated website at: 
Mac’s hit memoir “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension,” co-written by Robert-Allan Arno, 2nd edition, is available on Amazon at: 
Welcome to the Fall & Holiday season, FOREVER 5TH-style! What an exciting time for our favorite stars! We unveiled our “Marilyn & Billy’s Living Room” feature– your questions answered by our dynamic duo, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr., right here at the blog on Marilyn’s birthday, Sept. 30 to a record number of visitors!
Then Marilyn & Billy honor Miss Dionne Warwick as she receives the prestigious Marian Anderson Award at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia on Tues. Nov 14, 8pm! Limited Seats!–for tickets, go here: 
And don’t forget, “MarBill” star in the Colors of Christmas Tour, coming to a town near you Dec 3-17th! For locations, go here: 
EXCLUSIVE! Watch the official induction video, produced by The Soul of The Voice, Ltd. and announced by yours truly, Mac’s biographer, here: 
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:
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:
Introducing LaMonte McLemore‘s new song available for download right now at CD Baby! Mac enthuses, “This is the type of dance tune I always wanted The Original 5th Dimension to record!” The Grammy legend explains, “Now I get to conceive it with a 2017 spin…featuring the talented Julio Hanson in the sweet-soul, harmonic driver’s seat!”
Coming on the heels of McLemore’s viral sensation, CEASE FIRE (a call for world peace), I WISH I COULD FALL IN LOVE switches themes, repping Mac’s versatile vision. And yet the elemental message of “love” always manifests where LaMonte travels artistically. –Robert-Allan Arno
9 years ago, while sitting in Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr.’s suite, post-show at the Cafe Carlyle, during our “cozy catch-up” visit I presented the concept of the “Forever 5th Dimension” blog-magazine. It was met with immediate instinctual approval by “MarBill” with Billy smiling, “I like the title,” and Marilyn adding with a wink, “I’d read it!” And that they both have, with such kind and astute validation & participation over these past 9 years where we first started on MySpace and migrated over to WordPress in recent years!
Compiling tunes with the group’s members and doing liners for “Playlist” for Sony just like we did with “Ultimate 5th Dimension” was “scholarly hip”…and of course, reporting on the countless sold-out, ovation inducing concert events of Marilyn & Billy (the First Couple of Pop n’ Soul) and the indomitable Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension (including Patrice Morris, Willie Williams, Leonard Tucker & Floyd Smith) is simply sensational! And our worldwide fan participation for each of our star’s birthdays is always an awesome “sunshine” celebration! Marilyn & Billy, Florence and LaMonte (plus Kyle Townson who is so supportive in repping his beloved dad, Ron)–each of them are not only cherished friends but mentoring colleagues who are a total pleasure to work with…their taste and faithful ethic are unparalleled. It just makes sense that the essence of The 5th Dimension brought our world together in harmony during the turbulent times of the late ’60’s/early 70’s…and it’s a blessing that these artists continue to enthrall us with such magic and energy, today. Also the support of another personal mentor, renowned producer Bones Howe is never forgotten.
Actress Joan van Ark recited a compelling compendium of lyrics from various hit songs by The 5th Dimension while Florence LaRue delivered an emotional homage to her fellow Original 5th Dimension trailblazers and friends.
The graceful LaRue cited Billy’s voice as one which still brings a tear to her eye. Actor Lou Gossett, Jr. and Harry Elston of The Friends of Distinction were downright hysterical (Harry’s nickname for Billy is “Wilbur”…with Billy trading quick quips with Mr. Elston!)
—Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension continue to present their family-friendly, sophisticated n’ smokin’ evenings of “Champagne Soul” all over the country and the world. This past year, a concert in the Philippines was a highlight for the quintet which features Patrice Morris, Willie Williams, Leonard Tucker & Floyd Smith. 
—Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr., those eternal sweethearts of Rock n’ Soul, celebrated 47 years of marriage this past July. They have been busy doing what they love best, touring with their contemporary concert presentation of Blues, Torch and Pop-Soul plus an all-new Broadway-like extravaganza, in many ways their musical autobiography titled: “Up-Up and Away: A Musical Fable.” Our “MarBill” appear frequently on radio and TV (a highlight was a visit to “Sandyland” on Sirius hosted by Sandra Bernhard this past spring) and are regular contributors to FOREVER 5th DIMENSION with their touching thoughts and astute commentary peppered all throughout our Blog entries. I thank them wholeheartedly for their continued enthusiasm, care and wise mentoring! Our favorite duo is already gearing up for their winter residency at the Colony in Palm Beach, Florida (Jan. 17-28), and for their 3rd Valentine’s weekend appearance in a row (Feb. 11-12) at the Orleans Casino Hotel in Las Vegas!
–I probably talk to “Mac,” LaMonte McLemore who has nicknamed me “Rev. Arno,” nearly every day. We are bonded for life, my always suave “brother like no other” because of his hit memoir which I had the pleasure to co-author, “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension: A Life Fulfilled in Baseball, Photography and Music,” still doing well, now in its 2nd edition. Mac and I are always coming up with something to confer on, for instance his new song, a powerful anthem of peace, brilliantly produced by Lloyd Tolbert with sweet-soul vocal by Julio Hanson, is called “Cease Fire.” We’ve had much fun promoting this tune (its title is also a chapter name in the memoir), getting the message out to the media & the masses. If you liked “A Love Like Ours” and “The Singer” (both penned by LaMonte), you’ll love his concept of “Cease Fire”–and guess what, Mac even does the spoken-word narration on the recording! LaMonte has appeared on numerous radio /TV shows & podcasts this past year, a highlight was being featured in Kelly Wright’s uplifting “Beyond the Dream” series on Fox news. About the new year, LaMonte says with his mischievously visionary smile, “Let’s do it bigger and better in 2017!”
But first, a hurrah that just in time for the holidays, our friends at Real Gone Music released the comprehensive 3-CD box set: “The 5th Dimension, The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles–’66-’75” available for order at: 
(Photos: The Arno 5th McCoo/Davis Legacy Collection and courtesy General Bob, Andy Gard, DeniseRose Torres, Getty Images, “LaMonte art” by Kenneth Green; Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno is a production of The Soul of The Voice, Ltd, copyright 2008-17, intellectual property, all rights reserved.)
FOREVER 5TH DIMENSION 
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