The Original 5th Dimension made a memorable appearance during 1967’s “Summer of Love” at the now historic Fantasy Fair & Magic Mountain Music Festival in Marin Country, California…and 50 years later, Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension brought their eternal sunshine to the Marin County Fair! Group member Patrice Morris described the exhilarating experience as “our best concert ever!” And super-fan, our good friend Andy Gard shares with us his heartfelt review as an exclusive for FOREVER 5th DIMENSION…
BIRTHDAY “FUNSHINE” WITH FLORENCE LaRUE & THE 5th DIMENSION by Andy Gard
Marin County Fair, Sat. July 1st–Leading to my 56th birthday on July 3, I can honestly say this was one of the best days of my entire life! As usual, The 5th Dimension played a huge part in that. I’ll also add that this show was unequivocally the best concert I’ve seen by the current lineup of the group. Everyone (Florence, Patrice, Leonard, Floyd and Willie) was in top form from the get-go and every single song was given 110%. Even better was the fact that the group is doing more “5th material,” including “Workin’ On A Groovy Thing” and “California Soul” which I heard them perform for the first time that night, after the “Rain Medley” and before “One Less Bell To Answer.” The “electricity” exchanged between performers and audience made the evening into a real love fest.
L to R: Willie, Florence, Leonard, Patrice and Floyd (courtesy John Estes)
The show began and it was immediately clear the group’s energy was turned all the way up. After “September” and “My Girl” came “Groovy Thing” which led into a selection of the group’s biggest songs performed in full, including “Wedding Bell Blues” “The Worst That Could Happen” “Never My Love” “Last Night I Didn’t Get To Sleep At All” and “MacArthur Park.” “Stoned Soul Picnic” followed and as usual, Florence ventured into the crowd to invite people to dance with her. The first person she picked happened to be a guy named Andy and after his turn Florence announced, “Speaking of Andys, I have a friend in the audience named Andy and it’s his birthday. Where are you, Andy?” I made my presence known and went down front to Ms. LaRue, who asked if I’d been practicing my dance moves. I said I’d done my best and evidently it was pretty good judging from the feedback I received!
Andy dances with delightful diva Florence (courtesy Patrice Morris)
The rest of the show was fantastic and the crowd was so hyped up they were standing and dancing from the very beginning of “Aquarius” even before the transition into “Let The Sunshine In!” The group came back for an encore and at the very end led the audience in an accapella version of “God Bless America,” the perfect conclusion to a 4th of July weekend concert…as was the fire works display. Then, spending quality time with Florence backstage for a lovely post-concert visit was the “icing” on my birthday cake!
Check out more upcoming concerts…Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension continue their “Champagne Soul” magic: https://www.pollstar.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-53228
(Forever 5th Dimension by Robert-Allan Arno, copyright 2008-2017, The Soul of the Voice, Ltd., intellectual property, all rights reserved)
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!)
The star-studded extravaganza at the “venue of venues,” Carnegie Hall, heralded the tunesmith extraordinaire, composer of such classics as “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “MacArthur Park” and of course, the multi-Grammy winning “Up-Up and Away.” At Forever 5th Dimension, we bring you exclusive coverage with that one-on-one, “MarBill touch”…
You want some “Forever 5th” tid-bits? Let’s shoot to the after-party at the trendy City Winery where Jimmy sighed about every original 5th-D member’s all-time fave album as we chatted: “Ah, ‘The Magic Garden,’ there was nothing like it…it was our very own ‘Sgt. Pepper.'” Billy confided to me about his Carnegie Hall rendition of TWTCH which received a well-deserved standing O, “I wanted to do the song for the fans and especially for Jimmy a bit more slowed down, to draw attention to his words…as it should be.” Marilyn shared while we exchanged vocal preservation tips, “Billy avoided sweets the week before, so his delivery would be extra-crystal clear.” Then we all bit into the celebratory luscious brownie triangles at the post-show soiree!
Back to the stage, performances by other legends including Judy Collins, Art Garfunkel, BJ Thomas, Johnny Rivers, Dwight Yoakam, Catherine Zeta-Jones, surprise guest Michael Feinstein, Amy Grant and Graham Nash (both in duet with Jimmy), Broadway’s Liz Callaway, stunning newcomer currently touring with Stevie Wonder–Shelea and more, displayed the versatility of genre inherent in Webb’s unparalleled songwriting style. The tribute, hosted by Jimmy’s old friend, actor Michael Douglas–with proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Foundation with regard to Jimmy’s friend and colleague Glen Campbell–also helped to usher in Webb’s new memoir, “The Cake and the Rain.” Ashley Campbell, Glen’s daughter made a touchingly memorable musical appearance while Toby Keith made a mighty one with his interpretation of “MacArthur Park.” We’re pleased to bring you the show’s complete song list, here:
Ronald “Sweets” Townson: Remembering the gentleman who brought The Original 5th Dimension his robust dignity and classical bent…and so much more. Now begins our “sweet” annual tradition as we honor his legacy on his birth date of January 29. Our “refreshed” essay for ’17, “Sweet Memories of Sweets” features quotes & stories from the stars and family who knew him best: Marilyn & Billy, Florence, LaMonte and Ron’s son Kyle. And we spotlight the Top 5 (and more!) Ron “vocal solos.” And the special fans weigh in with thoughtful feedback. Lotsa’ photos, too!
Breaking News: The 5th Dimension–The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 3CD Set!
All four living members (Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis, Jr. and LaMonte McLemore) of The 5th Dimension have signed 28 copies of this set. REAL GONE MUSIC is going to take orders until 12:00 pm PST this Monday December 19, 2016 and then select the winners randomly. If you do not receive an autographed version you will get a $5 coupon good for your next order from Real Gone Music!
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.”
Visit Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension at: www.
Visit Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. at their official FB page or at 
Visit LaMonte McLemore on FB, Twitter or Linked-In
Get the exciting (2nd edition) hit memoir, by McLemore & Arno, FROM HOBO FLATS to THE 5TH DIMENSION, recommended by McCoo/Davis, Sedaka, Mathis and Nancy Sinatra at: 
FOREVER 5TH DIMENSION 
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