The 5th Dimension

Singing some of the sweetest, soulful pop of the 1960s, five-part harmony group The 5th Dimension scored a string of US hits by offering a clean-cut, more mainstream take on early R&B. Initially formed when photographer Lamonte McLemore snapped Marilyn McCoo at a beauty pageant, the pair backed Ray Charles under the name The Hi-Fi's, before teaming up with Billy Davis Jr, Florence LaRue and Ron Townson in 1966. They were rejected by Motown but signed to Johnny River's Soul City Records and first made waves with a cover of The Mamas and the Papas track "Go Where You Wanna Go". Their big breakthrough came when they teamed up with the songwriter Jimmy Webb and won five Grammy Awards for their performance of his song "Up, Up and Away", and the hits kept coming. "Stoned Soul Picnic", "One Less Bell to Answer", "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" and "If I Could Reach You" all went on to make the US Top 10, while "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" and "Wedding Bell Blues" both became Number 1 hits. The band's fourth album The Age of Aquarius (1969) brought the band's biggest success, reaching number 2 in the US, but the group will always be remembered for their elegant vocal harmonies and stylish pop. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. left the group in 1975 and Ron Townson died on August 2, 2001 at the age of 68, but Florence LaRue continues to tour and record with an ever-changing line-up of band members. On February 3, 2026, Lamonte McLemore died at the age of 90 after suffering a stroke.

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