Tag Archives: The 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue

An Exciting Fall & Holiday Season!

Posted on September 24, 2017 | 1 comment

new marbill don' likeWelcome 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!

On Saturday Nov 11, music legends McCoo & Davis, Jr. will be hosting the AMG (*Artist Music Guild) Heritage Awards ’17 in salute of the arts, with other legacy artists like The Coasters, Lloyd Price, Terri Gibbs, more! By the way, the show will be televised! DionneThen 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:  http://www.box-officetickets.com/Events/Adult-Contemporary-Tickets/2017-Marian-Anderson-Awards/2430680

colorsAnd don’t forget, “MarBill” star in the Colors of Christmas Tour, coming to a town near you Dec 3-17th! For locations, go here:  https://www.thecolorsofchristmas.com/

CHRIST ANDY

Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension (Patrice, Willie, Leonard & Floyd) embark on a special residency: “Andy Williams Christmas Extravaganza Starring The 5th Dimension” at The Andy Williams Performing Arts Center/Moon River Theatre in Branson from Nov 1 thru Nov 18. Jimmy Osmond hosts the festivities.

Jimmy Osmond

Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension with Jimmy Osmond

For “Christmas Extravaganza” tickets & details, go here:  http://www.andywilliamspac.com/christmas-extravaganza-starring-5th-dimension.html

DREAM AWARDS

And founder of The 5th Dimension, the ever dapper LaMonte McLemore, accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Dream Awards in Las Vegas on Sun. Oct 22!

  lamonte mac final final finalEXCLUSIVE! Watch the official induction video, produced by The Soul of The Voice, Ltd. and announced by yours truly, Mac’s biographer, here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYbbYrKrH5E&t=6s

Mac is also promoting his new sweet-Soul dance tune, IF I COULD FALL IN LOVE!

Aren’t we lucky and blessed that our favorite “original” stars of The 5th Dimension are still as vibrant as ever! —Robert-Allan Arno

year-end-collage-16-revised

Visit Marilyn & Billy at their Facebook page–Official, on Twitter @mccoodavis or at http://www.mccoodavis.com

Enjoy Florence LaRue’s updated website at http://www.florencelarue.com

Check out LaMonte McLemore on Twitter @lamontemclemore, or on Facebook

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

(Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno, The Soul of The Voice, Ltd; all rights reserved)

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2014 Greatest Forever 5th Hits!

Posted on December 31, 2014 | 1 comment

Thanksgiving Banner

Thanks for your continued support of FOREVER 5th DIMENSION, now entering its seventh year!  We’ve had 39 blog entries this year, 72 photos posted, and thousands and thousands of visitors from all over the world according to the nifty year-end stats just provided by the nice folks at WordPress. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve personally spent wonderful time with Marilyn & Billy (backstage after their Christmas show), Florence (at dinner and attending the Broadway show, After Midnight), and LaMonte (nearly every day on the phone!)…you know by reading all the recounts or getting to see “MarBill” in concert or Florence & The 5th on stage, they are all as vibrant as ever!  And “Mac” is as entertaining, while we have confabbed about his memoir (From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension) to bring you its launch this Valentine’s Day…we’re calling it the “A Love Like Ours” tour…celebrating the love of music, photography, baseball and for and from the fans!

Here’s our Top 5 of 2014 (in no necessary order!), with easy links so you can catch up on or relive some of the recent memories.  And here’s to a super-special 2015…may we enjoy our still-brightest stars as we continue to let the sunshine in…

Blessings,
Robert-Allan Arno
Biographer, The original 5th Dimension and LaMonte McLemore

FULL IMAGE MARBILL1.  IN-CONCERT!  Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. tour to the best reviews of their careers from “Catalina to Christmas!”  Here’s a joint review of their Catalina Jazz club gig from fans, Deniserose and Jonathan:
https://forever5thdimension.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/it-takes-two-baby/

2.  LIVE!  The 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue sell-out wherever they appear.  Here’s a review by fan, John Estes, where Florence, Patrice, Willie, Leonard & Floyd raise the roof:The 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue
https://forever5thdimension.wordpress.com/2014/10/31/florence-the-5th-dimension-a-special-concert-review/

Story3.  AWARDS & EVENTS!  Marilyn & Billy appear on countless radio and TV shows throughout the year and receive the Gordon Parks award:
https://forever5thdimension.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/marilyn-and-billy-to-receive-gordon-parks-award/

Florence & The 5th Dimension appear on many local morning TV shows, as they tour the country.  FLORENCE BIRTHDAYAnd Florence receives an honor from the White House:
https://forever5thdimension.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/552/

Aug. 9th--Breaking News! Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. reunite with Florence LaRue and The 5th Dimension for a one-night only magic moment, during the

Aug. 9th–Breaking News! Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. join Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension for a one-night only magic moment with a “Let the Sunshine In”  finale. Ms. LaRue and today’s 5th performed to a sold-out crowd at LA’s prestigious Saban Theater. (l to r: Willie Williams, McCoo, Davis, LaRue, Patrice Morris, Leonard Tucker, Floyd Smith, photo courtesy P. Morris Collection)

TOGETHER!  Marilyn & Billy were guests of Florence & The 5th Dimension, joining them for a chorus of “Let the Sunshine In”

PLAYLIST SCAN 0014.  RELEASES & REISSUES!  Numerous CD re-issues and a new compilation appeared in ’14 from Earthbound to Playlist: The Very Best of The 5th Dimension, the latter which I had the honor to co-compile with the stars and do liners for.  Here’s a CD recap:  https://forever5thdimension.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/something-for-everyone-a-picnic-of-champagne-soul-delights/

Lamonte and Robert look to the horizon5.  MAC’S MEMOIR!  LaMonte McLemore’s long-awaited memoir is called From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension:  A Life Fulfilled in Baseball, Photography and Music.  Yours truly, Robert-Allan Arno is the project’s as-told-to author.  It officially gets released on Valentine’s Day ’15…stay tuned to FOREVER 5th DIMENSION for further information including signings, media appearances, ordering details, etc.  Here’s a Press Release on the celeb-studded book, with recommendations by Johnny Mathis, Nancy Sinatra and Neil Sedaka:
https://forever5thdimension.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/lamonte-mclemore-of-the-5th-dimension-to-release-autobiographical-memoir-as-told-to-robert-allan-arno/

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABONUS!  Marilyn & Billy–who celebrated 45 years of marriage this year!–never cease to show their support for FOREVER 5th DIMENSION.  Read their much appreciated “Lines of Love”–https://forever5thdimension.wordpress.com/2014/10/11/lines-of-love-from-marilyn-billy/

cropped-ytf-two.jpgLINKS TO THE STARS & their events:

Join Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. on Facebook (official) or visit http://mccoodavis.com/

Visit Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension at  http://thefifthdimension.org/

Join LaMonte McLemore at Linked-In  www.linkedin.com/pub/lamonte-mclemore/aa/97a/28b

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Florence & The 5th Dimension– A Special Concert Review

Posted on October 31, 2014 | 2 comments

The 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue

Our friend, John Estes brings us this spirited review of a show he saw last week–a Halloween treat for us tonight!

FLORENCE & THE 5TH DIMENSION: BETTER THAN EVER!
A Concert Review by John Estes

It had been about two years since I last saw The 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue, so this past Friday, I couldn’t wait to catch their show at the Arcada Theater near Chicago, Illinois. I have to say right away, they sound as good as ever, if not better! The current lineup of Florence with Patrice, Willie, Leonard and Floyd, has been in place now for over five years, and it really shows. Each member has their own distinctive talent which brings something special and unique to the group. They opened with Earth Wind and Fire’s SEPTEMBER with the fun and energy only The 5th Dimension can bring. Next, the quintet performed their version of MY GIRL, which Florence pointed out was not the sound the group would eventually become known for. Then, they broke into UP-UP AND AWAY, which brought many in the crowd to their feet, singing along with the Grammy Award-winning signature song. The Arcada audience was certainly a lively bunch that night!

“The 5th” continued with a medley of their hit songs which included THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN, WEDDING BELL BLUES, and (LAST NIGHT) I DIDN’T GET TO SLEEP AT ALL. Leonard, Patrice, and Florence were featured lead singers on these tunes, then Ms. LaRue’s version of NEVER MY LOVE was delivered dramatically, to say the least. Next, the group discussed love songs and how much they’ve changed over the years; this gave way to Willie Williams’ interpretation of the Jimmy Webb classic, MACARTHUR PARK. This is one of my favorites because I just love the raw emotion that Willie puts into the song, along with the stirring background parts of the other members. Next, Florence movingly performed ONE LESS BELL TO ANSWER. The group ended the first set of their show with the upbeat and hip STONED SOUL PICNIC, inviting various audience members to come up on stage for a “dance off with The 5th Dimension!”

Post-intermission, the five entered with a costume change and singing their memorable CALIFORNIA SOUL. This was the first time I ever heard the hit performed live in concert.  (This was such a treat for me and made me think of other personal requests they might add to their future concert repertoire, like LIGHT SINGS and MAGIC IN MY LIFE!) Next, they performed the captivating Rain Medley with each singer taking a solo turn. The 5th Dimension closed leaving us wanting more with AQUARIUS/LET THE SUNSHINE IN.

And we did get more, because afterward there was an interesting Q&A session onstage with the Emcee (and the owner of the Arcada Theater) asking each singer how they came to be a member of the legendary group. He asked Florence about various milestone moments with The 5th Dimension. Then it was time for a “meet and greet” with the fans. I got the chance to ask some additional questions and had a few pictures taken with my all-time favorite musical group, the perfect ending to a magical event.

(copyright 2014, John Estes, edited by Robert-Allan Arno, The Soul of The Voice, Ltd. for FOREVER 5th DIMENSION)

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