Singer marilyn mccoo biography of williams

American popular music vocal group

This article is about the band. For other uses, see Fifth Dimension (disambiguation).

The 5th Dimension is an American vocal group. Their music encompasses sunshine pop, pop soul, and psychedelic soul.

Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Between 1967 and 1973, they charted with 20 top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which – "Up, Up and Away" (no. 7, 1967) and the 1969 number one "Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)" — won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Other big hits include "Stoned Soul Picnic" (no. 3), "Wedding Bell Blues" (no. 1), "One Less Bell to Answer" (no. 2), a cover of "Never My Love" (pop no. 12/Easy Listening no. 1), "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" (no. 8), and "If I Could Reach You" (pop no. 10/Easy Listening no. 1). Three of their records reached the top ten of Billboard's Rhythm & Blues/Soul chart. Five of their 19 top 20 hits on the Easy Listening chart reached number one.

The five original members were Lamonte McLemore, Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue, Ronald Townson, and Billy Davis Jr. Their earliest recordings were on the Soul City record label, which was started by recording artist Johnny Rivers. The group la

EXCERPT from The HistoryMakers:

Marilyn McCoo describes her family history. 

Her mother, Mary Ellen Holloway McCoo, was born on January 14, 1913 in Charleston, South Carolina to Leticia Campbell Holloway and William Holloway. William Holloway was a Pullman porter and eventually moved his family to New Jersey. 

Inspired by Dr. Lena Edwards to pursue medicine, McCoo’s mother attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee and later became an anesthesiologist. McCoo’s father, Wayman McCoo, was born on March 9th, 1909 in Eufaula, Alabama to Anna Coffee McCoo and Thomas McCoo. 

Thomas McCoo was a doctor and a graduate of Leonard Medical Center who played a role in the integration of Eufaula, Alabama. Wayman McCoo also graduated from Meharry Medical School and became a general practitioner. 

Prior to becoming a doctor, Wayman McCoo pursued a singing career and sang with Fletcher Henderson. McCoo’s parents met at school and moved to Columbus, Georgia before settling down in Los Angeles, California when McCoo was seven years old.

She received her B.S. degree in business administration from the University of California-Los Angeles. In 1965, McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, Florence LaRue, Ron Townson and Billy Davis, Jr. formed the singing group The 5th Dimension. 

From 1966 to 1975, the group recorded a number of hit songs, including the Grammy Award-winning “Up, Up, and Away” and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." 

McCoo and Davis, Jr. married and left The 5th Dimension in 1975. Together, they released the Grammy-winning single, "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" in 1976. 

McCoo went on to host television shows and released solo albums. She appeared on Broadway and acted in a number of movies. In 2004, McCoo and Davis co-authored the book Up, Up and Away…How We Found Love, Faith and Lasting Marriage in the Entertainment World.

Listen to all of Marilyn McCoo's tracks on Deezer

Marilyn McCoo (born September 30, 1943) is an African-Americansinger, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group The 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series Solid Gold. She is the wife of singer Billy Davis, Jr., the founder and co-member of The 5th Dimension, whom she married in 1969. McCoo was born in Jersey City, New Jersey to Waymon and Mary McCoo, who were both doctors. At the age of seven, she moved with her parents, two sisters, and brother to Los Angeles, where she commenced singing, piano and dance lessons. At the age of 15, she joined Art Linkletter‘s Talent Show and began modelling. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in UCLA, where she earned a degree in business administration. In 1962, McCoo entered the Miss Bronze California beauty pageant where she came in first place. At this event, she met Lamonte McLemore, a part-time vocalist and photographer for Jet magazine. Her photos, taken by McLemore, were featured in the magazine’s Jet Beauty of the Week section.

In the early and mid-1960s, McCoo was a member of the Hi-Fi’s, who often opened for Ray Charles. She had been invited to join the group by photographer Lamonte McLemore, who would himself join McCoo in The 5th Dimension. Other Hi-Fi members included Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, who would go on to form The Friends of Distinction. She met Billy Davis, Jr. in 1966 when he established The 5th Dimension, then called The Versatiles, which would also include Ron Townson and Florence LaRue. The latter had won the title of Miss Bronze California in 1963. The group’s first big hit was with 1967’s “Up, Up and Away“, written by Jimmy Webb. The song won four 1968 Grammy Awards and was the title track to 5th Dimension’s first hit LP. Their follow-up was a cover of Laura Nyro‘s “Stoned Soul Picnic“. “Wedding B