LaMonte McLemore, singer and founding member of the 5th Dimension, dies at 90

"By ANDREW DALTON Singer LaMonte McLemore has died. He was a founding member of the 5th Dimension, a vocal group whose smooth pop and soul sounds with a touch of psychedelia brought them big hits in the 1960s and '70s. McLemore died Tuesday at age 90 at his home in Las Vegas, surrounded by his family, his representative Jeremy Westby said in a statement. He died of natural causes after having a stroke."

"He sang in a jazz ensemble, the Hi-Fi's, with future 5th Dimension bandmate Marilyn McCoo. The group opened for Ray Charles in 1963, but broke up the following year. Later, McLemore, McCoo, and two of his childhood friends from St. Louis, Billy Davis Jr. and Ronald Towson, along with schoolteacher Florence LaRue, formed a singing group called the Versatiles in 1965, and signed to singer Johnny Rivers' new label, Soul City Records, Rivers told the group, his first signees, that their name wasn't current enough."

"The 5th Dimension had broad crossover success and won six Grammy Awards including record of the year twice, for 1967's Up, Up and Away and 1969's Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In. Both songs were also top 10 pop hits, with Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In, a mashup of songs from the musical Hair, spending six weeks at No. 1. McLemore had a parallel career as a sports and celebrity photographer whose pictures appeared in magazines including Jet."

LaMonte McLemore died at age 90 at his Las Vegas home of natural causes after having a stroke, surrounded by family. He was a founding member of the 5th Dimension, a vocal group that blended pop, soul and psychedelia and achieved major hits in the 1960s and 1970s. The 5th Dimension won six Grammy Awards, including record of the year for 1967's "Up, Up and Away" and 1969's "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," with the latter spending six weeks at No. 1. McLemore also worked as a sports and celebrity photographer whose pictures appeared in magazines including Jet. He served in the U.S. Navy as an aerial photographer and briefly played in the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system before pursuing music.

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