He quietly helped usher in a new generation of both music and culture in America, and is particularly beloved by the artists who benefited from his pioneering efforts. LaMonte McLemore was the driving force behind the formation of the iconic, Grammy-winning vocal group The 5th Dimension, and the man who held up the lower end of their exquisite harmonies. And from the late 1960s through the early 70s, he helped redefine the sound and presentation of popular music.
Formed in Los Angeles in 1965, The 5th Dimension carved out a lane unlike any of their contemporaries, blending pop, soul, and jazz into a breezy whole that appeared to transcend race, class and the other social tensions that were gripping the nation at the time. They sounded fantastic, and they had a hip, beautiful look that seemed to define the California dream.
Their hits began in 1967 with Jimmy Webb’s “Up-Up and Away,” and continued unabated for the next half decade with “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” “Wedding Bell Blues” and more. That success paved the way for countless subsequent Black artists who approached popular music in ways that defied the stereotypes that much of radio and media held in the mid-20th century.
Beyond music, McLemore built an equally influential second career behind the camera. For more than five decades, he served as a key freelance photographer for JET magazine, best known for shaping the iconic “Beauty of the Week” feature. His images celebrated elegance, individuality, and the full spectrum of Black beauty long before such representation was commonplace. His life journey was memorialized in the memoir From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension (A Life Fulfilled in Baseball, Photography and Music) as told to his biographer Robert-Allan Arno.
After retiring from the 5th Dimension, McLemore, based in Las Vegas, remained active in both photography and philanthropy. He also occasionally returned to music, such as on the 2017 collaboration with Julio Hanson, “Cease Fire.”
Though likely not a household name in much of America, it is difficult to overstate LaMonte McLemore’s contribution to music and society. But thank God we also have that incredible music he gave us.
By Chris Rizik
