# The 5th Dimension
**The 5th Dimension** is an American pop-soul vocal quintet formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, best known in the late 1960s and 1970s for hits including "Up, Up and Away," "Wedding Bell Blues," "One Less Bell to Answer," "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All," and the medley "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." The original members were [Marilyn McCoo](https://www.edgepedia.org/marilyn-mccoo), Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, LaMonte McLemore, and Ron Townson.[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5) Their sound blended smooth, orchestrated soul with California pop, and they won six [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards), including Record of the Year twice.[2](https://5thdimensionlive.com/bio/) • [1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Began as the Versatiles in Los Angeles in 1965; renamed the 5th Dimension when Johnny Rivers signed them to Soul City in 1966[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) |
| Original lineup | Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, LaMonte McLemore, Ron Townson[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5) |
| Signature hit | "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (1969), six weeks at No. 1, three million copies sold, Record of the Year[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/5th-dimension/14692/) |
| Grammy total | Six awards from nine nominations, including Record of the Year for "Up, Up and Away" and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/5th-dimension/14692/) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) |
| Record sales | Over 25 million records, 22 Top 40 hits, 14 gold and six platinum records[2](https://5thdimensionlive.com/bio/) |
| Labels | Soul City (1966–1970), Bell (1970), ABC, Motown[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) • [5](https://vocalgroup.org/inductees/the-5th-dimension/) |
| Today | Led by original member Florence LaRue, the group continues to perform[2](https://5thdimensionlive.com/bio/) |
## Formation
Three of the founding members grew up in St. Louis and moved to Los Angeles independently: McLemore trained in jazz, Townson in opera, and Davis in gospel and R&B.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) McLemore had sung with Marilyn McCoo in a jazz ensemble called the Hi-Fi's, which opened for [Ray Charles](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-charles) in 1963 before breaking up.[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5) In 1965 the five, including McLemore's cousin Davis, St. Louis friend Townson, and the schoolteacher Florence LaRue, whom McLemore met through his photography work, formed a group called the Versatiles.[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5)
Their demo tape was rejected by Motown.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) After the singer [Johnny Rivers](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-rivers), who had just founded Soul City Records, signed the group in 1966 on the condition that they update their name and image, the 5th [Dimension](https://www.edgepedia.org/dimension) was born.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) A contemporary account attributes the new name to manager Marc Gordon, who "recognized the group a new dimension in music" and requested the change; Rivers then made them the first signing on his label.[6](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1975-pt27/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1975-pt27-6-3.pdf) Their first Soul City single, "I'll Be Lovin' You Forever," was a flop.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography)
## The hits
The breakthrough came in 1967 with a cover of the Mamas & the Papas' "Go Where You Wanna Go," which reached the Top 20.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) In that same year the group put out [Jimmy Webb](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-webb)'s "Up, Up and Away," which climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned four Grammys: one for Record of the Year, one for Best Contemporary Single, one for Best Performance by a Vocal Group, and one for Best Contemporary Group Performance.[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5) In 1968 they scored with two [Laura Nyro](https://www.edgepedia.org/laura-nyro) songs, "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "Sweet Blindness," and Nyro's "Wedding Bell Blues" followed the next year to No. 1.[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography)
**1969 peak.** The commercial peak was "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," a medley of two songs from the Broadway musical *Hair* that spent six weeks at No. 1, sold three million copies, and won the group its second Record of the Year Grammy along with Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Group.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) • [4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/5th-dimension/14692/) The accompanying album *The Age of Aquarius* went gold, and the group's chart-topping streak continued into 1970 with "Wedding Bell Blues" and the Top Five Bacharach composition "One Less Bell to Answer" after the move to Bell Records.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography)
Their records were shaped by producer Bones Howe, whose sweeping, orchestrated arrangements placed the group's seamless harmonies close to California sunshine pop, and by material from outside writers: Webb, Nyro, Burt Bacharach and [Hal David](https://www.edgepedia.org/hal-david), Ashford & Simpson, and [Neil Sedaka](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-sedaka).[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) In 1970 they also sang the entire Declaration of Independence as a suite on the album *Portrait*.[7](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/5th-dimension-summer-of-soul-27228/)
## Crossover and its costs
The 5th Dimension achieved wide crossover success with white audiences for a group whose five members were all Black, a phenomenon that drew criticism.[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5) In the 2021 documentary *[Summer of Soul](https://www.edgepedia.org/summer-of-soul)*, McCoo said, "We were constantly being attacked because we weren't 'Black enough' ... Sometimes we were called the black group with the white sound."[7](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/5th-dimension-summer-of-soul-27228/) Radio crossover was not commonplace: pop stations played the group because some assumed the singers were white, while R&B stations complained the sound did not fit their format, as McCoo recalled in a 2021 interview.[8](https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/06/29/summer-of-soul-documentary) A 1970 performance at the White House, in which the group sang the socially conscious "The Declaration" before President Nixon, further alienated part of their Black fan base at a time when their releases peaked higher on the pop charts than the R&B charts.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography)
In 1969 the group headlined the first day of the Harlem Cultural Festival in Harlem's Mount Morris Park, part of a six-Sunday series attended by roughly 300,000 people that became known as "Black Woodstock."[9](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/June-29/harlem-cultural-festival-begins) Footage of the festival, unseen for about fifty years, became the Oscar-winning 2021 documentary *Summer of Soul*, in which McCoo and Davis watch their performance and describe how much it meant to feel embraced by their own audience.[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5) • [10](https://time.com/6077502/music-documentaries-summer-of-soul-sparks-brothers-mccartney/)
## Later years
The original lineup lasted until 1975, when McCoo and Davis, who had married in 1969, left to record as a duo and scored a No. 1 hit in 1976 with "You Don't Have to Be a Star."[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5) • [11](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/the-original-fifth-dimension/) Their Bell-era sales had tapered as arrangements spotlighted soloists rather than unified harmonies; the 1972 Top Ten hits "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" and "If I Could Reach You," both sung by McCoo, proved to be the group's last major successes.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) The remaining members carried on with changing personnel, moving through [ABC Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/abc-records) and then Motown, and the original five reunited for a tour in 1990.[5](https://vocalgroup.org/inductees/the-5th-dimension/) • [11](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/the-original-fifth-dimension/) Townson died of kidney failure in 2001.[11](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/the-original-fifth-dimension/) McLemore, who had a parallel career as a photographer for publications including *Jet*, died in Las Vegas in February 2026 at age 90.[1](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5)
**Continuity.** Led by LaRue, the only remaining original member, the group still performs with members Patrice Morris, Floyd Armstrong, Sidney Jacobs, and recent addition Shane Lawrence, keeping the signature five-part harmonies that defined it from the start.[2](https://5thdimensionlive.com/bio/) • [12](https://www.evansvilleliving.com/shane-lawrence-in-harmony-with-the-5th-dimension/) In 2026, sixty years after the group's founding, Cherry Red Records released the first box set of its career, *Let the Sunshine In: The Soul City & Bell Albums 1967–1974*, a six-CD collection of remastered original albums plus 25 bonus tracks including the group's rare single as the Versatiles.[13](https://theseconddisc.com/2026/06/11/5th-dimension-box-due-tomorrow-cherry-red/)
## Sound and legacy
AllMusic describes the group as occupying territory between smooth, elegant soul and adult-oriented pop, often with a flower-power vibe, and credits its song selection with helping to launch the careers of Jimmy Webb and Laura Nyro.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography) The original lineup has been compared to the Mamas & the Papas, whose songs the group occasionally covered; the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame) inducted the Mamas & the Papas in 1998 while the 5th Dimension has never even been nominated, a contrast critics attribute to the 5th Dimension's reliance on outside writers and its lean toward pop and easy listening rather than folk-rock.[14](https://bestclassicbands.com/5th-dimension-box-set-review-9-9-26/) [Frank Sinatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-sinatra) described the group as "without a doubt the freshest, most musical, most capable group in today's bag."
## References
1. [LaMonte McLemore, singer and founding member of The 5th Dimension, dies at 90, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/8e44b4bdf27feb97619453ac150a5cd5)
2. [BIO – The 5th Dimension – Official Website](https://5thdimensionlive.com/bio/)
3. [The 5th Dimension Biography by Steve Huey, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-5th-dimension-mn0000028772/biography)
4. [All Grammy Awards and Nominations: 5th Dimension, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/5th-dimension/14692/)
5. [The 5th Dimension, Vocal Group Hall of Fame](https://vocalgroup.org/inductees/the-5th-dimension/)
6. [The Fifth Dimension: Anatomy of a Supergroup, Congressional Record Extensions of Remarks (1975)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1975-pt27/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1975-pt27-6-3.pdf)
7. ['Let the Sunshine In': Remembering the 5th Dimension's Quiet Revolution, Rolling Stone Australia](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/5th-dimension-summer-of-soul-27228/)
8. [The 5th Dimension's Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Reminisce on 'Summer of Soul', WBUR Here & Now](https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/06/29/summer-of-soul-documentary)
9. [Harlem Cultural Festival begins, June 29, 1969, HISTORY.com](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/June-29/harlem-cultural-festival-begins)
10. [Three New Music Documentaries Celebrate the Cosmic Connection Between Artist and Audience, TIME](https://time.com/6077502/music-documentaries-summer-of-soul-sparks-brothers-mccartney/)
11. [The Original Fifth Dimension, Hollywood Star Walk, Los Angeles Times](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/the-original-fifth-dimension/)
12. [In Harmony – Shane Lawrence with the 5th Dimension, Evansville Living](https://www.evansvilleliving.com/shane-lawrence-in-harmony-with-the-5th-dimension/)
13. [OUT TOMORROW! The 5th Dimension's Soul City and Bell Albums Collected on New Box from Cherry Red, The Second Disc](https://theseconddisc.com/2026/06/11/5th-dimension-box-due-tomorrow-cherry-red/)
14. [A 5th Dimension Box Delivers Hits Galore & Hidden Treasures: Review, Best Classic Bands](https://bestclassicbands.com/5th-dimension-box-set-review-9-9-26/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Choirs and vocal groups › Gospel, barbershop, and popular vocal groups › Soul, R&B, and Motown vocal groups*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license