| The Fifth Dimension | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genre(s) | R&B, pop, soul, Sunshine pop |
| Years active | 1966 - present (until 1975 in original incarnation) |
| Label(s) | Soul City, Imperial, Arista, Motown |
| Former members | |
| Marilyn McCoo Billy Davis, Jr. Florence LaRue Lamonte McLemore Ron Townson See: Membership section for detailed listing |
|
The Fifth Dimension, also known as The 5th Dimension, is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire also includes pop, R&B, soul, and jazz. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Sunshine pop is a certain type of Pop music, most often characterized by a cheerful attitude harmony singing and sophisticated production although there is no formal or strict In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music This article is about the American news organization See also Soul City (disambiguation Soul City North Carolina is a planned New town This article is about the Imperial Records label currently owned by EMI. Arista Records (ˈɛərɪstə is an American Record label. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operates under the "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Marilyn McCoo (born September 30 1943, Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American Singer and actress, who Billy Davis Jr (born June 26 1940, St Louis, Missouri) is best known as a member of The Fifth Dimension. Ron Townson ( January 20, 1941 - August 2, 2001) was an American Vocalist. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more Abba Brisbane Birralee Voices Cliff Adams Singers Crosby Stills & Nash Danny Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States
The Fifth Dimension were best-known during the late 1960s and early 1970s for popularizing the hits "Up, Up and Away" and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In. "Up Up and Away" redirects here For other uses see Up up and away. " Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In " sometimes incorrectly known as " The Age of Aquarius " or " Let the Sunshine In " is a medley "
The five original members were Billy Davis, Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, and Ron Townson. Billy Davis Jr (born June 26 1940, St Louis, Missouri) is best known as a member of The Fifth Dimension. Marilyn McCoo (born September 30 1943, Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American Singer and actress, who Ron Townson ( January 20, 1941 - August 2, 2001) was an American Vocalist. They have recorded for several different labels over their long career. Their first work appeared on the Soul City label, which was started by Imperial Records/United Artists Records recording artist Johnny Rivers. This article is about the American news organization See also Soul City (disambiguation Soul City North Carolina is a planned New town This article is about the Imperial Records label currently owned by EMI. United Artists Records was a Record label founded by Max E Youngstein of United Artists in 1958 initially to distribute Soundtracks Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, 7 November 1942, in New York) is an American Rock and roll Singer The group would later record for Bell/Arista Records ABC Records and Motown Records. This article is about the record label active in the US and UK in the 1960s and 1970s Arista Records (ˈɛərɪstə is an American Record label. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operates under the ABC Records started in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records the record label of Am-Par Record Corporation (a subsidiary of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan.
Some of the songwriters popularized by The Fifth Dimension later went on to careers of their own, especially Ashford & Simpson, who wrote "California Soul". Nickolas Ashford (born May 4, 1942, in Fairfield South Carolina) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946 in "California Soul" is a pop - soul tune written by Ashford & Simpson, issued originally as a single by American pop quintet The Fifth The group is also notable for having more success with the songs of Laura Nyro than Nyro did herself, particularly in the cases of "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", and "Save the Country". Laura Nyro (born Laura Nigro) ( October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American Composer, Lyricist " Wedding Bell Blues " is a song written and recorded by Laura Nyro in 1966 that became a number one hit for The Fifth Dimension in 1969 and subsequently The group also covered music by well known songwriters such as the song "One Less Bell To Answer" written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
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In the early 1960s, Lamonte McLemore and Marilyn McCoo, an ex-beauty pageant winner, got together with two other friends from Los Angeles, Harry Elston and Floyd Butler to form a group called the Hi-Fis. Marilyn McCoo (born September 30 1943, Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American Singer and actress, who In 1963, they sang at local clubs while taking lessons from a vocal coach. In 1964, they came to the attention of Ray Charles, who took them on tour with him the following year. Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American He produced a single by the group, "Lonesome Mood", a jazz-type song that gained local attention. However, internal disagreements caused Butler and Elston to go their own way, eventually leading to their organizing the Friends of Distinction. The Friends of Distinction are an American vocal group best known for their late 1960's hits " Grazing in the Grass," "Love or Let Me Be
Lamonte sought to form another group and started looking for members to join him and McCoo. One was Florence LaRue, who had received training as a youngster in singing, dancing and violin, and who also won the talent portion, as McCoo had the year prior, at Miss Bronze California. About the same time she was approached to join the group, Lamonte recruited an old friend of his, Ron Townson, who at age six had started singing in choirs and gospel groups in his hometown of St. Ron Townson ( January 20, 1941 - August 2, 2001) was an American Vocalist. Louis. His grandmother fostered his career by arranging for private voice and acting lessons as he grew up. In his teens, he toured with Dorothy Dandridge and Nat "King" Cole, joined the Wings Over Jordan Gospel Singers for a while, and also played a small part in the film Porgy and Bess. Dorothy Jean Dandridge ( November 9, 1922 &ndash September 8, 1965) was an American Actress and Popular singer Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17 1919 &ndash February 15 1965 known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician He demonstrated his considerable skill as a classical artist by placing third in the Metropolitan Opera auditions held in St. Louis. After finishing high school, he worked his way through Lincoln University by conducting the school and church choir. After graduating, he organized his own 25-member gospel choir.
Lamonte's cousin, Billy Davis, started singing in gospel choirs at an early age. Roquel Billy Davis ( July 11 1932 - September 2 2004) of Detroit was an American Songwriter, Record He later saved enough money to buy a cocktail lounge in St. Louis, which he used as a base for experimenting with various musical groups. When he was asked to join his cousin's new group, he immediately said yes.
The members began rehearsing in early 1966 and took the name of the Versatiles. They auditioned for Marc Gordon, who headed Motown's Los Angeles office. "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Although their demo tape was rejected by Motown, he agreed to manage them and brought them to the attention of Johnny Rivers, who had just started his own label, Soul City Records. Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, 7 November 1942, in New York) is an American Rock and roll Singer Soul City was a British soul label run by David Nathan and Robert Blackmore from a record shop of the same name in London Their first Soul City single, "I'll Be Lovin' You Forever", was a flop, but a cover of the Mamas and the Papas' "Go Where You Wanna Go" climbed into the top 20 on both R & B and pop stations. The Mamas & the Papas (credited as The Mama's and the Papa's on the debut album cover were a Vocal group of the 1960s.
Budding young songwriter Jimmy Webb supplied the group with their breakthrough hit, "Up, Up and Away", a top 10 hit in mid-1967, which won five Grammy Awards. Jimmy Layne Webb is an American songwriter From his initial success with " Up Up and Away," " By the Time I Get to Phoenix," " Wichita The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The following year, the group scored major hit singles with Laura Nyro's "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "Sweet Blindness" and received a gold record for their album Stoned Soul Picnic, which also included the Ashford & Simpson written "California Soul". Laura Nyro (born Laura Nigro) ( October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American Composer, Lyricist Nickolas Ashford (born May 4, 1942, in Fairfield South Carolina) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946 in "California Soul" is a pop - soul tune written by Ashford & Simpson, issued originally as a single by American pop quintet The Fifth In 1969, they had two number one singles: "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" from the musical Hair and the Nyro composition "Wedding Bell Blues. " Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In " sometimes incorrectly known as " The Age of Aquarius " or " Let the Sunshine In " is a medley Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a Rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt " Later hits included "One Less Bell to Answer" (U. S. #2) (1970), "Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes" (U. S. #19), "Never My Love" (U. S. #12) (1971), "If I Could Reach You" (U. S. #10), and "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" (U. S. #8) (1972).
In 1975, McCoo and Davis, who became husband and wife while with the group, left the group to do both collective and individual projects. They went on to have success singing as a duo after leaving the group in 1975, including "Your Love" and the chart topper "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show). In Popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list&mdasha Chart &mdashof top "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show" is a hit song for the husband/wife duo of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr " McCoo also served a stint as the host of the TV show Solid Gold. Solid Gold is an American syndicated Television series which aired from 1980 to 1988 usually on Saturday in the early evening time slot The remaining trio carried on with new members, and nearly had a hit in 1976 with the LaRue-sung "Love Hangover"; unfortunately, Motown issued Diana Ross' own version shortly after the Fifth Dimension's hit the charts, and hers soared to the top of the charts. " Love Hangover " was a single for Motown singer Diana Ross, released in 1976. "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire Strangely enough, the group signed with Motown not long after, releasing two albums in 1978. R'n'B singer Lou Courtney was in the group briefly between 1978 and 1979, Joyce Wright joined in 1979 and Phyllis Battle joined in the mid-1980s. The original quintet reunited in 1990 for a tour. Townson briefly left the group to try a solo career, but soon returned, as the group resigned itself to the nostalgia circuit; In 1995, the quintet of LaRue, Townson, McLemore, Battle, and Greg Walker recorded a new album, In the House, for Click Records. Greg Roger Walker (born October 6, 1959 in Douglas Georgia) is a former power-hitting First baseman in Major League Baseball and In 1998, Willie Williams replaced Townson, who died in 2001 due to kidney failure, due to complications related to his diabetic condition. Battle departed in 2002, to be replaced by Van Jewell. McLemore retired from the group in March 2006.
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor what they term "the Greatest Vocal Groups in the World"
McCoo and Davis left the group in November 1975. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Renal failure or kidney Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally Since then, other members have included:
US charts are from Billboard magazine. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry Canadian charts are taken from the weekly surveys of CHUM in Toronto. CHUM, broadcasting at 1050 kHz on the AM dial is a Canadian Radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario
| Year | Song | US | US AC | US R&B | CAN | UK | B-side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | "Go Where You Wanna Go" | 16 | - | - | 9 | - | "Too Poor to Die" |
| 1967 | "Another Day, Another Heartache" | 45 | - | - | - | - | "Rosecrans Blvd. The Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart (formerly known as Adult Contemporary Singles, Easy Listening, and only Adult Contemporary) lists the most popular Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. CHUM, broadcasting at 1050 kHz on the AM dial is a Canadian Radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario. The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry " |
| 1967 | "Up, Up and Away" | 7 | 9 | - | 18 | - | "Which Way to Nowhere" |
| 1967 | "Paper Cup" | 34 | - | - | 17 | - | "Poor Side of Town" |
| 1968 | "Carpet Man" | 29 | - | - | 3 | - | "The Magic Garden" |
| 1968 | "Stoned Soul Picnic" | 3 | - | - | 5 | - | "The Sailboat Song" |
| 1968 | "Sweet Blindness" | 13 | - | - | 15 | - | "Bobbie's Blues (Who Do You Think Of?)" |
| 1968 | "California Soul" | 25 | - | - | - | - | "It'll Never Be the Same Again" |
| 1969 | "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" | 1 (6 wks. "Up Up and Away" redirects here For other uses see Up up and away. "California Soul" is a pop - soul tune written by Ashford & Simpson, issued originally as a single by American pop quintet The Fifth " Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In " sometimes incorrectly known as " The Age of Aquarius " or " Let the Sunshine In " is a medley ) | 1 (2 wks. ) | 6 | 1 (3 wks. ) | 11 | "Don'tcha Hear Me Callin' to Ya?" |
| 1969 | "Workin' On a Groovy Thing" | 20 | 9 | - | 17 | - | "Broken Wing Bird" |
| 1969 | "Wedding Bell Blues" | 1 (3 wks. " Wedding Bell Blues " is a song written and recorded by Laura Nyro in 1966 that became a number one hit for The Fifth Dimension in 1969 and subsequently ) | 1 (2 wks. ) | 23 | 3 | 16 | "Lovin' Stew" |
| 1969 | "Blowing Away" | 21 | 7 | - | 24 | - | "Skinny Man" |
| 1970 | "A Change is Gonna Come/People Got to Be Free" | 60 | - | - | - | - | "The Declaration" |
| 1970 | "The Declaration" | 64 | 35 | - | - | - | B-side of above |
| 1970 | "The Girls' Song" | 43 | 6 | - | - | - | "It'll Never Be the Same Again" |
| 1970 | "Puppet Man" | 24 | 31 | - | - | - | "A Love Like Ours" |
| 1970 | "Save the Country" | 27 | 10 | - | 24 | - | "Dimension 5" |
| 1970 | "On the Beach (In the Summertime)" | 54 | 12 | - | - | - | "This Is Your Life" |
| 1970 | "One Less Bell to Answer" | 2 | 1 (1 wk. " A Change Is Gonna Come " is a 1964 single by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, written and first recorded in 1963 and released under the RCA Victor " People Got to Be Free " is a song released in 1968 by The Rascals. "One Less Bell To Answer" Is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. ) | 4 | 3 | - | "Feelin' Alright?" |
| 1971 | "Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes" | 19 | 6 | - | 29 | - | "The Singer" |
| 1971 | "Light Sings" | 44 | 12 | - | - | - | "Viva! (Viva Tirado)" |
| 1971 | "Never My Love" (live) | 12 | 1 (1 wk. ) | 45 | 21 | - | "A Love Like Ours" |
| 1971 | "Together Let's Find Love" (live) | 37 | 8 | - | - | - | "I Just Wanta Be Your Friend" |
| 1972 | "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" | 8 | 2 | - | 5 | - | "The River Witch" |
| 1972 | "If I Could Reach You" | 10 | 1 (1 wk. ) | - | 13 | - | "Tomorrow Belongs to the Children" |
| 1973 | "Living Together, Growing Together" | 32 | 5 | - | - | - | "What Do I Need to Be Me" |
| 1973 | "Everything's Been Changed" | 70 | 18 | - | - | - | "There Never Was a Day" |
| 1973 | "Ashes to Ashes" | 52 | 7 | - | - | - | "The Singer" |
| 1973 | "Flashback" | 82 | 30 | - | - | - | "Diggin' for a Livin'" |
| 1975 | "No Love In the Room" | 105 | 11 | - | - | - | "I Don't Know How to Look for Love" |
| 1976 | "Love Hangover" | 80 | - | - | - | - | "Will You Be There" |
Note: After many years and fans' requests, all original albums (non-compilation) by the original group are available on CD, many with unreleased tracks included. " Love Hangover " was a single for Motown singer Diana Ross, released in 1976. Up Up and Away is the debut Album by American pop group The Fifth Dimension, released in 1967 (see 1967 in music) The Magic Garden is the second Album by American pop group The Fifth Dimension, released in 1967 (see 1967 in music) The Age of Aquarius is the fourth Album by American pop group The Fifth Dimension, released in 1969 (see 1969 in music) Portrait is the fifth Album by American pop group The 5th Dimension, released in 1970 (see 1970 in music) Love's Lines Angles and Rhymes is the sixth Album by American pop group The Fifth Dimension, released in 1971 Reflections is the seventh Album by American pop group The Fifth Dimension, released in 1971 Earthbound is the twelfth Album by American pop group The Fifth Dimension, released in 1975 (see 1975 in music) The exception to this is ABC's Earthbound.