Las Vegas, February 6, 2024 – LaMonte McLemore, a founding member of the iconic vocal group The 5th Dimension, has died at the age of 90. His smooth vocals and the group’s blend of pop, soul, and psychedelia captivated audiences throughout the 1960s and 70s, leaving an indelible mark on American music.
A Harmonious Legacy: Remembering LaMonte McLemore
The 5th Dimension’s co-founder passed away Tuesday at his Las Vegas home, surrounded by family, after a stroke.
- McLemore was instrumental in forming The 5th Dimension, achieving crossover success with hits like “Up, Up and Away” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.”
- The group garnered six Grammy Awards, including two record of the year wins.
- Beyond music, McLemore enjoyed a second career as a sports and celebrity photographer.
- The 5th Dimension’s success broke barriers, navigating the complexities of being a Black group with broad appeal.
McLemore died Tuesday at his home in Las Vegas, surrounded by family, according to a statement released by his representative, Jeremy Westby. The cause of death was natural causes following a stroke.
What made The 5th Dimension so unique? The group’s ability to seamlessly blend genres and appeal to diverse audiences set them apart. They won six Grammy Awards, including the coveted record of the year twice: in 1967 for “Up, Up and Away” and in 1969 for the chart-topping “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.”
Born in St. Louis, McLemore’s talents extended beyond music. He served in the Navy as an aerial photographer and even pursued a career in baseball, playing in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ farm system. He eventually settled in Southern California, where he honed his vocal skills and his passion for photography.
McLemore’s musical journey began with a jazz ensemble called the Hi-Fi’s, where he performed alongside future 5th Dimension bandmate Marilyn McCoo. The group briefly opened for Ray Charles in 1963 before disbanding the following year.
He then joined forces with McCoo, along with childhood friends Billy Davis Jr. and Ronald Towson, to form a new singing group initially called the Versatiles. Florence LaRue, a schoolteacher McLemore met through his photography, completed the lineup. In 1965, they signed with singer Johnny Rivers’ Soul City Records and rebranded themselves as The 5th Dimension, a name chosen to reflect the evolving cultural landscape.
Their breakthrough came in 1967 with a rendition of the Mamas & the Papas’ “Go Where You Wanna Go.” That same year, they released “Up, Up and Away,” penned by Jimmy Webb, which climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned them four Grammy Awards: record of the year, best contemporary single, best performance by a vocal group, and best contemporary group performance.
The following year, 1968, brought further success with a pair of songs by Laura Nyro, “Stoned Soul Picnic” and “Sweet Blindness.” But it was 1969 that marked the peak of their commercial triumph with “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” a medley from the musical “Hair.” The song spent six weeks at No. 1 and secured them two more Grammy Awards, including record of the year and best contemporary vocal performance by a group.
In 1969, The 5th Dimension also performed at the Harlem Cultural Festival, later immortalized as the “Black Woodstock” in Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s 2021 documentary, “Summer of Soul.”
The 5th Dimension’s success was notable for its broad appeal across racial lines, a phenomenon that wasn’t without its challenges. As McCoo reflected in “Summer of Soul,” “We were constantly being attacked because we weren’t, quote, unquote, ‘Black enough.’ Sometimes we were called the Black group with the white sound, and we didn’t like that. We happened to be artists who are Black, and our voices sound the way they sound.”
The group continued to release hits into the 1970s, including “One Less Bell to Answer,” “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All,” and “If I Could Reach You.” They became frequent guests on television variety shows and even performed at the White House and on an international cultural tour sponsored by the State Department.
The original lineup of The 5th Dimension remained intact until 1975, when McCoo and Davis embarked on their own musical endeavors.
“All of us who knew and loved him will definitely miss his energy and wonderful sense of humor,” McCoo and Davis, who married in 1969, said in a joint statement. LaRue added that McLemore’s “cheerfulness and laughter often brought strength and refreshment to me in difficult times. We were more like brother and sister than singing partners.”
McLemore is survived by his wife of 30 years, Mieko McLemore; daughter Ciara; son Darin; sister Joan; and three grandchildren.
