(February 16, 2026) – This tribute is overdue but that lateness doesn’t diminish the importance of its subject or his contribution to the culture.
LaMonte McLemore, the longtime bass singer and founding member of The 5th Dimension, died on February 3 at age 90, leaving behind a legacy that stretches far beyond the harmony stacks and sunshine-pop optimism for which the group became famous.
McLemore was there at the beginning — when The 5th Dimension emerged in the mid-1960s as one of the most commercially successful and sonically distinctive vocal groups of their era. Together, viewed by many as a Black version of The Mamas and The Papas, the quintet eventually exceeded that group’s success, bridging psychedelic pop, soul, and adult contemporary with a polish that dominated radio and television. Their run of hits reads like a greatest-hits syllabus of late-’60s optimism and early-’70s sophistication.
Songs like “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “Up-Up and Away,” “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” and “Wedding Bell Blues” weren’t just top ten chart staples — they were cultural markers, soundtracking a nation oscillating between hope, upheaval, and possibility. The 5th Dimension mostly operated on the optimistic side of that spectrum.
Each member of the original classic lineup had a vocal role: Marilyn McCoo was the soprano, Billy Davis, Jr. was baritone, Florence LaRue was alto, the late Ron Townson was tenor, and McLemore handled bass. While Davis had the male leads on most of their tracks, McLemore’s bass would be highlighted on later albums featuring the classic 5D. On their last album together — the slightly underrated 1975 LP Earthbound — the bass vocal seemed to be turned up in their five-part arrangements, and McLemore’s voice alone can be heard on tracks like the funky “Don’t Stop For Nothing” and the Up With People poppy “Walk Your Feet in the Sunshine.”
Beyond those tracks and 5D’s earlier blockbusters, McLemore’s voice helped anchor the group’s deeper grooves and lesser-celebrated (but still big) gems: “Puppet Man,” “California Soul,” “Working on a Groovy Thing,” “If I Could Reach You,” “Save the Country,” “Last Night (I Didn’t Get to Sleep At All).”
While McCoo and Davis Jr. were the group’s most visible stars — and LaRue would later become its most enduring front figure — McLemore’s steady presence was foundational. He was never the spotlight seeker. He was part of the glue — along with LaRue — that held them together through many lineup changes until his departure in 2006 after 40 years.
Ironically, for all their crossover success, The 5th Dimension often struggled with their place in Black America. Despite being a Black group, they were frequently labeled “too pop” and embraced more readily by white audiences — a tension McCoo and Davis openly addressed decades later in Questlove’s Summer of Soul documentary. The group’s 1969 appearance at the Harlem Cultural Festival was, in part, an attempt to reconnect with a Black audience that had never fully claimed them, despite the group’s unmistakable roots in soul and gospel tradition.
It was a bit of a victory then when McCoo & Davis left 5D in 1976 and scored a No. 1 soul single — the first for any of the members together or apart — with “You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be In My Show).” That crowning beat its pop reign by nearly two months and seemed to redeem any past failures to satiate Black audiences.
But McLemore’s second act quietly proved just as culturally significant as his first, and perhaps even more so with Black folks than anything the group did together or apart.
While touring the world with 5D, McLemore built an entirely separate legacy behind the camera as a freelance photographer, working primarily for Jet magazine. As the man behind the publication’s iconic “Beauty of the Week” feature, he photographed more than 500 Black beauties — often in bikinis or bathing suits — at a time when mainstream magazines rarely, if ever, considered Black models worthy of national visibility. It wasn’t until 1997 — nearly three decades after McLemore’s Jet photo shoots began — that the first Black model (Tyra Banks) appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue.
Meanwhile, 5D’s moonlighting cameraman was doing shoots with bronze beauties like the former model, actress and sports broadcaster Jayne Kennedy, whose 20 Jet magazine covers and “Beauty of the Week” features beginning in 1970 made her a household name.
For countless readers, “Beauty of the Week” was appointment viewing. It wasn’t just about glamour; it was affirmation. The women McLemore photographed weren’t untouchable supermodels — they were everyday, around-the-way girls who looked like the women in your neighborhood, your church, your school. In an era when representation was scarce, McLemore made beauty accessible — and proudly (and naturally) Black.
His commitment to his craft was so deep that he reportedly scheduled photo shoots in between 5D concert stops, balancing chart-topping performances with film rolls and lighting setups. While his music paid the bills; his behind-the-scenes photography was shaping the culture.
In 2024, McLemore finally curated that work into a coffee-table book, preserving decades of images and contextualizing them with short essays — including reflections from one of his most famous subjects, Kennedy, who was barely out of her teens when McLemore first photographed her. The book — Black is Beautiful: Jet Beauties of the Week — is available on Amazon and serves not just as a visual archive, but as a historical correction: proof that Black beauty thrived without BBLs, even when the mainstream refused to acknowledge it.
In many ways, LaMonte McLemore’s life mirrored the story of The 5th Dimension itself — massively successful, quietly influential, and too often undervalued in the cultural conversations that followed. He didn’t chase headlines. He built a legacy — actually two of them. One with his voice. Another with his lens.
Both still endure.
My Personal Top 10: The Best Songs by The 5th Dimension
In tribute to McLemore and his group, DJROBBLOG has ranked what I consider their best songs — or at least my personal favorites. The rankings are purely subjective (and yes — I want to see yours).
10. “Save the Country”
“Fury’s gonna take me to the glory goal in my mind.” In case there was any doubt about one of the words in that lyric line. Beginning this list here feels right given the times we’re living in today. This song isn’t flashy, but it’s sincere, compassionate, and timeless in its concern (if not in the once-in-a-lifetime vocal harmonies). The group sounds unified not just musically, but morally. It reflects the quieter side of their legacy — one rooted in concern, responsibility, and hope for what comes next.
9. “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All”
Insomnia and anxiety have rarely sounded this good. The arrangement mirrors the song’s restless energy, while McCoo’s vocals keep it grounded and relatable. It’s a deceptively simple record that captures a universal feeling — that racing-mind moment we all know (a sinking feeling that follows that unanswered phone call) — wrapped in impeccable pop craftsmanship. This was the group’s last million-seller — and a top ten hit — in 1972.
8. “Sweet Blindness”
Another Laura Nyro gem, and one of the group’s most underrated grooves. Nyro was the master of complex chord progressions, and 5D handled them with ease. “Blindness” was playful and sly, with a drunken narrative that masks its emotional undercurrent (but don’t we often turn to the grapevine to get happy?). The song showcases the group’s ability to sound loose without ever losing precision. It’s sweet-eyed joy with just enough edge to keep it interesting.
7. “The Declaration”
A departure for 5D, this reading of the Declaration of Independence was both ambitious and unapologetically serious, and a career risk for a group that had otherwise stayed out of political territory. By simply singing the Declaration’s preamble, 5D blended social awareness with polished pop. By doing it at the White House during Nixon’s presidency, the performance was the message — and this was a group using its platform intentionally.
6. “Love’s Lines, Angles and Rhymes”
A math teacher’s dream with pure sophistication. This sultry track feels like the group aging gracefully in real time, with McCoo’s lead vocal embracing complexity rather than chasing youth. The melody is fluid, the lyric poetic, and the vocal blend effortless. Producer Bones Howe was obviously tapping into “One Less Bell” territory here, and the group was clearly comfortable in its identity — not trying to prove anything, just doing the work beautifully.
5. “The Girls’ Song”
“Lonely person to lonely person.” This Jimmy Webb composition doesn’t get nearly enough love, IMHO. Modeled in the style of Burt Bacharach, “The Girls’ Song” was tender, reflective, and yearning. The harmonies are feather-light, the message sincere, and the execution — especially by “the girls” LaRue and McCoo who traded leads — immaculate. Recorded in 1967, it didn’t get a single release until 1970 in the midst of their many Portrait singles.
4. “Wedding Bell Blues”
This is pop storytelling at its sharpest: playful, pointed, and just a little unhinged. Beneath the upbeat arrangement is a narrative of romantic obsession that feels surprisingly modern. The group sells the tension beautifully, balancing McCoo’s sweetness with impatience. It’s one of their most character-driven performances, and it rewards repeat listens despite its highly personalized narrative. Oh, and Marilyn is still married to “Bill” 57 years after their wedding bells rang in 1969.
3. “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”
Yes, it’s an obviously high rank. And yes, it still belongs this high. What elevates this No. 1 medley beyond novelty or nostalgia is how perfectly it captures a historical moment — optimism battling chaos. The transition from cosmic prophecy to communal chant remains thrilling, and McLemore’s grounding harmonic presence helps keep the song from floating away entirely. The 1970 Record of the Year Grammy winner is a time capsule that still pulses with life nearly six decades after its release.
2. “One Less Bell to Answer”
The torch record McCoo once said every singer should have in her repertoire. Few pop records handle emotional devastation with this much elegance. McCoo’s lead is restrained yet devastating, and the group’s harmonies feel like echoes in an empty room. It’s adult heartbreak without melodrama (although she approaches it towards the end) — cinematic, lonely, and achingly human. This isn’t just one of the group’s best records; it’s one of the great torch songs of its era, period.
1. “Stoned Soul Picnic”
Can you surry? The easy sway of this record convinced me more than any other that 5D was far hipper than history often gives them credit for. Laura Nyro’s stellar writing meets the group’s layered harmonies in a way that feels dreamy, communal, and quietly radical. It’s not chasing a hook; it’s inviting you into a vibe (where else can you surry on a sweet train of thought?) — one that floats somewhere between soul, psychedelia, and social intimacy. If there’s one song that best captures the group’s ability to elevate pop into something richer, this was it.
Honorable mentions: “Puppet Man,” “Up-Up & Away,” “If I Could Reach You,” “Working on a Groovy Thing,” “Don’t Stop For Nothing,” “Walk Your Feet in the Sunshine,” “Love Hangover.”
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Your Turn
That’s my Top 10 — shaped by years of listening, re-listening, and reconsidering a catalog that deserves far more respect than it usually gets. I fully expect disagreements… and I welcome them.
Drop your own Top 10 (or Top 5) in the comments. Theirs is one catalog where no two lists should look the same.
And Rest in Soul Power LaMonte McLemore (1935 – 2026).
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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