Marilyn McCoo
Gale Contemporary Black Biography:
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Marilyn McCoo
singer; actor
Personal Information
Born on September 30, 1943, in Jersey City, NJ; married Billy Davis Jr. (1969)
Education: University of California-Los Angeles, BS, business administration.
Memberships: Children's Miracle Network, board member; Los Angeles Mission, board member; Cancer Research Foundation, board member; Soldiers for the Second Coming, founder.
Career
The Fifth Dimension, singer, 1965-75; solo, and with Billy Davis Jr., singer, 1975-; actress, 1977-.
Life's Work
In a career spanning forty years, Marilyn McCoo has become one of the most successful female recording artists in American music. With super group The 5th Dimension, her husband Billy Davis Jr., and as a soloist, McCoo has earned seven gold albums, five gold singles, six Grammy awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her own fame was cemented as a singer when she helped the hippie generation "Let the Sunshine In" and showed the world that "You Don't Have to Be a Star" to find lasting love.
Began Singing as a Child
Marilyn McCoo was born on September 30, 1943, in Jersey City, New Jersey. At the age of seven she moved with her family to Los Angeles. Her parents, Mary and Waymon McCoo, were both doctors who provided McCoo, her two sisters, and one brother with a solid middle-class upbringing. McCoo sang before she took her first step. Dance, piano, and voice classes followed and by the time she was a teenager McCoo was set on a career in entertainment. At 15 she entered Art Linkletter's Talent Scouts, a local Los Angeles talent show. Tall, with striking good looks, McCoo soon began modeling. Meanwhile, she graduated high school and enrolled in UCLA, where she earned a degree in business administration.
In 1962, McCoo entered the Miss Bronze California contest. After sweeping the talent competition she went on to earn the crown. At the event she met Lamonte McLemore, a photographer for Jet and a part-time vocalist. McLemore's photos of McCoo were featured in the magazine's column "Beauty of the Week." He also invited her to join his singing group, The Hi-Fi's. She accepted and began performing with them in Los Angeles clubs. Soul legend Ray Charles caught one of their gigs and invited The Hi-Fi's to join him on tour. Charles also produced the group's single "Lonesome Mood."
The Hi-Fi's disbanded in 1965 and that same year McCoo, McLemore, Florence LaRue, Ron Townson, and Billy Davis Jr. joined forces as The Versatiles. At first the group sang for fun. "We started out as friends, singing as a hobby," McCoo told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In between gigs, McCoo worked for a department store and later as a job developer in Watts for a group called Economic Youth Opportunities. Davis, however, had brought to the group a connection with the recording industry, and a record deal was soon in the works.
Found Fame with The 5th Dimension
The Versatiles briefly signed with Bronco Records where future R&B icon Barry White was working as a music director. When that deal collapsed, they joined the Soul City label and changed their name to The 5th Dimension. With a crew of veteran session musicians, the five singers recorded their first hit in 1966, "Go Where You Wanna Go." They followed that release with the full-length album Up, Up, and Away. Catchy pop with an R&B attitude, the title track highlighted the group's vocal acrobatics and lodged itself at number seven on the charts. Another standout track was "Learn How to Fly," driven by McCoo's clear vocals.
Up, Up, and Away snagged The 5th Dimension four Grammy awards in 1967, including Best Pop Performance by a Group and Record of the Year. McCoo and company became stars. A follow-up album, The Magic Garden, also released in 1967, was tepidly received, but did nothing to hurt the band's popularity. 1968's Stoned Soul Garden, widely considered the group's best work, featured two chart-topping singles--the title track and "Sweet Blindness."
In 1969 The 5th Dimension hit the upper stratosphere of stardom with The Age of Aquarius. The album's first single, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," became a mega-hit, occupying the number one spot on the charts for six weeks and becoming the un-official anthem of the 1960s. It earned the group two more Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year. A second song, "Wedding Bell Blues," also went to number one. In this gospel-tinged ballad, McCoo took center stage, infusing the lyrics with tender yearning when she crooned, "C'mon and marry me, Bi-ill." Fittingly, 5th Dimension co-singer Billy Davis Jr. did just that.
Partnered with Davis in Marriage and Music
McCoo and Davis had developed a strong friendship from the moment The 5th Dimension formed. "When we met, there was no immediate physical attraction because we weren't each other's physical type," McCoo told Jet. "So, Billy and I became friends." After four years of constant togetherness--performing, touring, rehearsing--the duo realized they were in love. "Our relationship was built on being around each other all the time," McCoo told Jet. They were married on July 26, 1969, setting off a 30-plus year partnership.
In 1970 The 5th Dimension released yet another chart-topping album, Portrait. It is home to one of McCoo's strongest performances, "One Less Bell to Answer," a steamy, torch song dripping in soul. The group released nearly a dozen more albums over the next five years, though they never again reached the success they had in 1969. McCoo recorded several powerful solos including "Loves Lines, Angles, and Rhymes" from the album of the same name, "(Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep at All" from Greatest Hits on Earth, and "If I Could Reach You" from Individually and Collectively. All three songs made it to the Billboard Top Ten.
By 1975 McCoo and Davis had decided to leave the group. "In the back of our minds, we still had that desire to see where our careers could go as individuals," McCoo told NPR radio host Tavis Smiley. "The 5th Dimension had a wonderful sound...and every sound has its run. And we had had our run. Well, Billy and I weren't ready to accept that, so we were saying, 'Let's do something different. Let's do something new." Recording as a duo, they released 1976's I Hope We Get To Love In Time featuring the single, "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)." The song went straight to number one and earned the duo a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Group.
Broke into Broadway and Books
McCoo moved into television in 1977, co-hosting The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Show on CBS. The prime-time variety show featured comedy sketches by Jay Leno and Tim Reid and, of course, lots of singing. In the 1980s McCoo hosted Solid Gold, a music show that featured a count down of that week's top ten songs interpreted by the famous, spandex-clad Solid Gold dancers. McCoo also made guest appearances on The Love Boat and Night Court, and had a recurring spot on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. Onstage, McCoo began appearing in musicals--The Man of La Mancha, Anything Goes, and A... My Name is Alice--with the dream of appearing on Broadway. "I had hoped those shows would lead to a Broadway opportunity; but in any case, I felt that if I was serious about my dream, I needed experience," she told The Philadelphia Tribune. Her dream came true in 1996 when she landed the role of Julie in a Broadway production of Showboat.
As her acting career unfolded, her singing career steadily rolled along. She and Davis released The Two of Us and Marilyn and Billy. On her own, McCoo released Solid Gold in 1983 and The Me Nobody Knows in 1991. The latter was a contemporary gospel album that reflected McCoo's spiritual beliefs. Incorporating jazz, soul, and Caribbean beats, the album made the Christian music charts and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Gospel recording. She and Davis also maintained a busy schedule of touring and performing, particularly on the Gospel circuit. In 1990 they joined the original members of The 5th Dimension for a national reunion tour.
In 1999 McCoo and Davis took two musical productions on the road: The Duke Ellington Songbook Tour and It Takes Two. Of the latter, Davis told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "It's a love, unity, and togetherness kind of show. Songs were picked for two people, and it just kind of fell into place for us because of who we are and what we represent." McCoo and Davis further shared what they represented with the 2004 publication of Up, Up and Away: How We Found Love, Faith and Lasting Marriage in the Entertainment World. The book came with a CD of love songs including "I Believe in You and Me" and "Because You Love Me." Not only a testament to lasting marriage, the book was a testament to a lasting career. It came out as McCoo was entering her fourth decade as an entertainer. Like her marriage, her career showed no signs of stopping.
Awards
Miss Bronze California, 1962; Grammy Award, Record of the Year (with Billy Davis Jr.), "You Don't Have to Be a Star," 1977; earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (with The Fifth Dimension), 1991; Children's Miracle Network, Achievement Award, 2002; Grammy Hall of Fame, inductee (with The Fifth Dimension), "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," 2004.
Works
Selected works
- (With the 5th Dimension) Up, Up, and Away, Soul City, 1967.
- (With the 5th Dimension) Stoned Soul Picnic, Soul City, 1967.
- (With the 5th Dimension) The Age of Aquarius, Soul City, 1969.
- (With the 5th Dimension) Portrait, Bell, 1970.
- (With the 5th Dimension) Love's Lines, Angles, and Rhymes, Bell, 1971.
- (With the 5th Dimension) Individually and Collectively, Bell, 1972.
- (With the 5th Dimension) Greatest Hits on Earth, Arista, 1972.
- (With Billy Davis Jr.), I Hope We Get to Love in Time, ABC Records, 1976.
- (With Billy Davis Jr.), The Two of Us, ABC Records, 1977.
- (With Billy Davis Jr.), Marilyn and Billy, Columbia, 1978.
- Solid Gold, RCA, 1984.
- The Me Nobody Knows, Warner Brothers, 1991.
- (With Billy Davis Jr.), Spirituals: Songs of the Soul, Discovery House Music, 2004.
- With Billy Davis Jr. and Mike Yorkey, Up, Up and Away: How We Found Love, Faith and Lasting Marriage in the Entertainment World, Northfield Press, 2004.
- Showboat, Broadway, 1996.
- The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Show, CBS, 1977.
- Solid Gold, 1980s.
Further Reading
Periodicals
- Jet, August 15, 1994; October 16, 1995; August 9, 1999; October 18, 2004.
- St Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1996; November 11, 1999.
- Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., www.mccoodavis.com/marilyn.htm (June 10, 2005).
- The Original 5th Dimension, http://members.aol.com/laruemccoo/ (August 16, 2005).
- "Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Discuss the Music Business and Their Book," interview on The Tavis Smiley Show, National Public Radio, March 1, 2004.
— Candace LaBalle
AMG AllMovie Guide:
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Marilyn McCoo
Biography
Supporting actress, onscreen from the '80s. She is best known as a pop singer. ~ RoviFilmography:
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Marilyn McCoo
Gale Musician Profiles:
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Marilyn McCoo
| For The Record... |
| Born on September 30, 1943, in Jersey City, NJ; married Billy Davis Jr., 1969. Education: University of California at Los Angeles, B.A. in business administration. Joined group the Hi-Fi's, 1962; with Lamont McLemore, Florence LaRue, Ron Townson, and Billy Davis Jr., formed the 5th Dimension (at first called the Versatiles), 1965; vocal soloist, the 5th Dimension, 1965-75; performed with Billy Davis Jr. as Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., 1975—; hosted Solid Gold television program, 1980s; released solo album Solid Gold, 1983; released gospel album The Me Nobody Knows, 1991; released Marilyn McCoo Christmas, 2000. Awards: Miss Bronze California, 1962; six Grammy Awards with the 5th Dimension; Grammy Award (with Billy Davis Jr.), Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, for "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)," 1977; Hollywood Walk of Fame (with the 5th Dimension), sidewalk star, 1991; Children's Miracle Network, Achievement Award, 2002; Grammy Hall of Fame (with the 5th Dimension), for "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," 2004. Addresses: Mailing address—Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., P.O. Box 7905, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Website—Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Official Website, http://www.mccoodavis.com. |
Singer, actress
Marilyn McCoo's warm alto has been best known as the lead voice of the phenomenally popular 1960s pop group the 5th Dimension. McCoo met her husband, Billy Davis Jr., when both were performing in that group, the pair went on to a successful career as a duo, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. McCoo was also a solo performer, appearing in several musical theater productions and hosting or co-hosting the Solid Gold television variety show for much of its run from 1980 to 1988.
McCoo was born on September 30, 1943, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her parents, both physicians, moved the family to Los Angeles when Marilyn was seven, and she grew up taking dance and music classes in the midst of the city's entertainment industry. She did modeling and entered talent shows as a teen. Although she enrolled at the University of California at Los Angeles and earned a degree in business administration, she had her sights set on a career as a performer. She got her start in 1962 when she entered and won a beauty pageant called Miss Bronze California. Jet magazine photographer Lamont McLemoore shot a spread of McCoo photos for the magazine but also invited her to join his group, the Hi-Fi's. The group had some success performing in Los Angeles clubs and they toured with rhythm-and-blues superstar Ray Charles in 1965.
The Hi-Fi's disbanded that year and McLemoore began to discuss a new group with a friend, Billy Davis Jr. McCoo and another Miss Bronze California, Florence LaRue, were brought on board along with Ron Townson to form the Versatiles. At first McCoo had few expectations for the group beyond enjoyment; she was working as a retail clerk and had an activist job in the Watts neighborhood with a group called Economic Youth Opportunities. "I told LaMonte it'd be okay to form a group because I loved group singing," she told Jet.
Psychedelic Pop
The Versatiles were signed to the small Bronco label, where they worked under artists and repertoire executive Barry White. He was the first of a long series of influential creative figures with whom McCoo and the 5th Dimension had the good judgment to associate themselves. When they moved to the Soul City label they took the name the 5th Dimension, riding one of the early waves of psychedelic pop. Working with a group of top Los Angeles session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, they cracked Billboard's pop top 20 with a single, "Go Where You Wanna Go," early in 1967.
From there on it was "Up, Up and Away" for the group, to use the title of their first album and multiple Grammy Award-winning hit of 1967. McCoo's vocals were always prominent in the mix, and she was equally effective blending in with the elaborate pop production of their iconic 1969 hit "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" or taking the vocal lead on such ballads as "One Less Bell to Answer," by the pop songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The group was adept at identifying composers typically not connected with African-American vocal ensembles; "Up, Up and Away" (and many other 5th Dimension songs) came from the pen of country-pop songwriter Jimmy Webb, and "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "Wedding Bell Blues" were written by folk-pop poetess Laura Nyro.
Married Fellow 5th Dimension Group Member
Although McCoo had nothing to do with the composition of "Wedding Bell Blues," her lead vocal on the song had an autobiographical aspect: she and Davis had been dating for several years by the time the song appeared in 1969. At first the relationship was purely platonic, although the foundations for a deeper relationship were being laid. "Billy and I spent a lot of time talking to each other," McCoo recalled to Jet. "I found I really liked him, really liked his spirit, his heart. I thought he was a neat guy, but that was all." The relationship deepened into romance, although it was troubled by conflict. "We fought like cats and dogs," McCoo told Jet. "We fought for the two years we were going together. Daily! We were fighting on the day we got married." That day was in 1969, and the 5th Dimension continued to enjoy moderate hits, although not at the level of "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," for several years after that.
The new marriage was threatened in its early years by disputes in which McCoo and Davis found fault, among other things, with each other's performing styles. After turning to a marriage counselor they emerged with a stronger marriage—and a new musical vision. In 1975, after a performance at Harvard University, McCoo and Davis left the 5th Dimension. "It wasn't friction," McCoo told the Newark, New Jersey, Star-Ledger. "We were all friends. But it was dissatisfaction. We had to see for ourselves."
Performing as Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., the duo was signed to the ABC label. Working with several veterans of the Detroit music scene who had landed on the West Coast, they recorded the album I Hope We Get to Love in Time, produced by Don Davis. The album's second single, "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)," featured Motown label legend James Jamerson on bass and went to the number one spot on the R&B and pop charts; it was a tuneful early example of the genre that later received the name black pop. The duo's second album, The Two of Us, appeared in 1977.
Solid Gold
That album represented the last time McCoo saw the R&B top 30, but she remained in the spotlight throughout the disco era and beyond. The duo's album Marilyn & Billy, recorded for Columbia in 1978, contained the original version of the song "Saving All My Love for You," later a major hit for Whitney Houston. McCoo and Davis hosted The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Show on the CBS television network in the late 1970s, and McCoo returned to the small screen as a solo performer in the 1980s on the dance variety show Solid Gold; she was its host or cohost for most of its run between 1980 and 1988.
McCoo recorded a well-received contemporary gospel album, The Me Nobody Knows, in 1991, and she and Davis returned to the studio in 2004 with another religious release, Spirituals: Songs of the Soul. That year they released a book, Up, Up and Away: How We Found Love, Faith and Lasting Marriage in the Enter- tainment World. They remained married and continued to tour successfully as of 2007; Leslie Gray Streeter of the Palm Beach Post wrote in 2005 that theirs was "literally the first South Florida show I've been to in a theater where nobody left early." McCoo appeared in stage productions both by herself (she replaced Lonnette McKee in a Broadway production of Show Boat) and with Davis (they joined forces for The Duke Ellington Songbook Tour and It Takes Two). Her television appearances included a recurring role on the Days of Our Lives soap opera. McCoo was featured on the Colors of Christmas tour with fellow middle-of-the-road soul singer Peabo Bryson. She received an achievement award from the Children's Miracle Network in 2002.
Selected discography
(with Billy Davis Jr.) I Hope We Get to Love in Time, ABC, 1976.
(with Billy Davis Jr.) The Two of Us, ABC, 1977.
(with Billy Davis Jr.) Marilyn & Billy, Columbia, 1978.
The Me Nobody Knows, Warner Alliance, 1991.
Warrior for the Lord, Diadem, 1994.
White Christmas, Delta, 1996.
Marilyn McCoo Christmas, Platinum Disc, 2000.
(with Billy Davis Jr.) Spirituals: Songs of the Soul, Discovery House, 2004.
Sources
Books
Contemporary Black Biography, volume 53, Gale, 2006.
Periodicals
Houston Chronicle, November 28, 2004, p. 8.
Jet, October 16, 1995, p. 61; August 19, 1999, p. 59; October 18, 2004, p. 38.
New York Times, March 27, 2003, p. E3.
Palm Beach Post, February 4, 2005, p. 36; February 7, 2005, p. B7.
Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), August 26, 2001, p. 13.
Online
"Marilyn McCoo," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (September 28, 2007).
"Us," Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Official Website, http://www.mccoodavis.com (September 28, 2007).
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Marilyn McCoo
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Vocalist Marilyn McCoo is featured on the 5th Dimension's million-selling hits "Wedding Bell Blues," "One Less Bell to Answer," and "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All." A daughter of a doctor, McCoo started singing at an early age and continued to sing throughout her grammar and high school years. As a teen, she appeared on Art Linkletter's Talent Scouts. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was around 19. While pursuing a modeling career and entering beauty contests (she won the title of Miss Bronze California, 1962), McCoo met photographer Lamonte McLemore. In the early '60s, McLemore and McCoo joined with Floyd Butler and Harry Elston to form the Hi-Fis. Performing in local clubs, the group came to the attention of Ray Charles. They toured with "the Genius of Soul" in 1965. Charles produced a single, the jazzy "Lonesome Mood." Butler and Elston left the Hi-Fis to form the Friends of Distinction ("Grazing in the Grass," "Going in Circles," "Love or Let Me Be Lonely").McLemore was contacted by his childhood friend from St. Louis, Billy Davis, Jr. Davis said that he was offered a record deal with Motown. McLemore contacted another St. Louis native, Ron Townson, and he, along with Davis, McCoo, and school teacher/1963 Miss Bronze California winner Florence LaRue, started the Versatiles. The group was signed to Bob Keene's Bronco Records where their A&R director was future "Icon of Love" Barry White. After getting a contractual release from Bronco, the Versatiles signed to singer/producer Johnny Rivers' ("Secret Agent Man") Soul City label where the group became the 5th Dimension and was paired with producer Bones Howe. Howe used top L.A. session players the Wrecking Crew: bassist Joe Osborn, drummer Hal Blaine, keyboardist Larry Knechtel, and arranger Bob Alcivar on their sessions. Their first hit was a cover of the Mama and the Papas' "Go Where You Wanna Go," making it into Billboard's Top 20 pop charts in early 1967. "Up Up and Away," written by Jimmy Webb, went to number seven pop during the summer of 1967. The song won four 1968 Grammy Awards and was the title track to their first hit LP. In 1969, McCoo and Davis were married. That same year, the 5th Dimension enjoyed their greatest success. After being impressed by Ronnie Dyson's performance in the hit Broadway musical Hair, the group decided to cover one of the show's songs. "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" parked at number one pop for six weeks and number six R&B in spring 1969. The group performed the song in Milos Forman's 1979 movie version of Hair. The Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In LP, their best album, went gold, and included "Workin' on a Groovy Thing" written by Neil Sedaka.
The next album, Portrait, yielded the hits singles "Save the Country," the gold "One Less Bell to Answer" -- written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David -- and "Puppet Man."
Though the gold "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" and "If I Could Reach You" were the group's last two singles to make it into the Top Ten, the 5th Dimension continued to have hits: "Living Together, Growing Together" -- another Bacharach/David song written for the Peter Finch movie Lost Horizon -- and "Ashes to Ashes."
In the mid-'70s, McCoo and Davis left the 5th Dimension and began performing as a duo. Landing a contract with ABC Records, they recorded their 1976 debut album, I Hope We Get to Love in Time, with Detroit producer Don Davis (Johnny Taylor, the Dramatics). The first single was the title track, which was a mid-chart hit. The second single, "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)," went to number one on both the R&B and the pop charts during January 1977. Motown great James Jamerson is featured on bass. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. were awarded a gold single and a gold album their first time out. The third single, "Your Love," went Top Ten R&B and Top 20 pop. In the summer of 1977, the couple had their own variety show, The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Show, on CBS.
Their next ABC album, 1977's The Two of Us, was produced by Motown alumni Frank Wilson (Eddie Kendricks, New Birth) and boasted the singles "Look What You've Done to My Heart," "Wonderful," the ballad "My Reason to Be Is You," and the tender title track. Switching to Columbia Records, their Marilyn & Billy album was released during the fall of in 1978. One charting single, a cover of "Shine on Silvery Moon," became a favorite in disco clubs. McCoo recorded her first solo LP for RCA Records, with the single "Heart Stop Beating in Time," written by the Bee Gees, being a small hit. Other solo albums by McCoo are White Christmas (Laserlight, 1996) and The Me Nobody Knows, produced by Chris Christian and Humberto Gatica (EMI Special Products, 1991). During the '80s, McCoo hosted the nationally syndicated pop music show Solid Gold and appeared on NBC shows Night Court and the soap opera Days of Our Lives. She also took to the stage, appearing in Dreamgirls, Showboat, and Man of La Mancha. McCoo co-hosted with Glynn Turman McDonald's Gospelfest Pt. 1 in 1990, available on home video.
The couple continues to perform around the country in concerts (some being 5th Dimension reunions) and musicals such as It Takes Two, Hit With a Hot Note!: The Duke Ellington Songbook, and celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary with a cover story in the August 9, 1999 issue of Jet Magazine. ~ Ed Hogan, Rovi
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Marilyn McCoo
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2008) |
| Marilyn McCoo | |
|---|---|
 Marilyn McCoo performing at Eastern Michigan University in 1970. |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marilyn McCoo |
| Born | September 30, 1943 |
| Origin | Jersey City, New Jersey, United States |
| Genres | R&B, adult contemporary, pop |
| Occupations | Singer, actress, presenter |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | ABC Records CBS Records |
| Associated acts | The 5th Dimension |
| Website | http://www.mccoodavis.com/ |
Marilyn McCoo (born September 30, 1943) is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group The 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series Solid Gold. Since 1969 she has been married to singer Billy Davis, Jr., the founder and co-member of The 5th Dimension.
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Contents
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Biography
Early years
McCoo was born in Jersey City, New Jersey to Waymon and Mary McCoo, who were both doctors.[1] At the age of seven, she moved with her parents, two sisters, and brother to Los Angeles, where she commenced singing, piano and dance lessons. At the age of 15, she joined Art Linkletter's Talent Show and began modelling.[2] After graduating from high school, she enrolled in UCLA, where she earned a degree in business administration. In 1962, McCoo entered the Miss Bronze California beauty pageant where she came in first place.[3] At this event, she met Lamonte McLemore, a part-time vocalist and photographer for Jet magazine. Her photos, taken by McLemore, were featured in the magazine's Jet Beauty of the Week section.
Music career
In the early and mid-1960s, McCoo was a member of the Hi-Fi's, who often opened for Ray Charles. She had been invited to join the group by photographer Lamonte McLemore, who would himself join McCoo in The 5th Dimension. Other Hi-Fi members included Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, who would go on to form The Friends of Distinction. She met Billy Davis, Jr. in 1966 when he established The 5th Dimension, then called The Versatiles, which would also include Ron Townson and Florence LaRue (who had won the title of "Miss Bronze California" in 1963). The group's first big hit was with 1967's "Up, Up and Away", written by Jimmy Webb. The song won four 1968 Grammy Awards and was the title track to 5th Dimension's first hit LP. A year later the group covered Laura Nyro's "Stoned Soul Picnic". A medley of "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (from the musical Hair) reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April to May 1969 and won the Grammy for 'Record of the Year'. The group's cover of Nyro's "Wedding Bell Blues", featuring McCoo's most prominent vocal of that period, topped the Hot 100 in November 1969.
By the early 1970s, McCoo began to sing lead on the group's remaining chart-topping singles, "One Less Bell to Answer", "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep At All" and "If I Could Reach You."
In 1975, McCoo and Davis left The 5th Dimension and began performing as a duo. Landing a contract with ABC Records, they recorded their 1976 debut album, I Hope We Get to Love in Time. The first single was the title track, which was a mid-chart hit. Their follow up, "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" was an even bigger hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1977. McCoo and Davis were awarded a gold single and a gold album as well as a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. They also hosted their own television program, The Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr Show, on CBS in Summer 1977. After one more album on ABC in 1978, the pair signed with CBS Records the following year and released their last album as a duo until October 2008 when the pair released The Many Faces of Love, a collection of hit songs from the 1960s and 1970s.
She was the first to record "Saving All My Love for You" in 1978, later sung by Whitney Houston. The album "Marilyn and Billy", featured that track as well as a disco hit, "Shine On Silver Moon". The pair decided to go solo professionally in the early 1980s with McCoo hosting the popular American syndicated television series Solid Gold from 1981 through 1984 and again from 1986 through 1988. She also created a successful nightclub and concert act, and went on to appear as Tamara Price on Days of our Lives in 1986, as a friend of Marlena Evans who sang at her wedding. Tamara later became involved with James Reynolds' character Abe Carver. McCoo left the series in 1987.
Her 1991 album, The Me Nobody Knows, was nominated for a Grammy. She also released a Christmas album in 1994. McCoo won her eighth Grammy for her contributions to Quincy Jones' Handel's Messiah.
Acting career
McCoo has acted in a number of movies, including Grizzly Adams and the Legend of Dark Mountain (1999), My Mom's a Werewolf (1989) and a number of television movies, often playing herself. She has appeared on stage in productions of Anything Goes, A...My Name is Alice, Man of La Mancha, and the Broadway production of Show Boat in 1995 through 1996. McCoo appeared together with Davis on The Jamie Foxx Show as Fancy's parents, the Monroes. McCoo also guest-starred on a Canadian game show in the 90s, called "Acting Crazy".
Personal life
McCoo is married to fellow 5th Dimension bandmate Billy Davis, Jr. On July 26, 2009, they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.[4] The couple shared their story of love and faith in the 2004 book, Up, Up and Away. They continue to perform together in venues around the country. She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority. As of January 2010[update] she is Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Mission.[5]
McCoo and Davis are born again Christians who credit God with their lasting marriage.[6]
Selected filmography
- My Mom's a Werewolf (1989)
- Grizzly Adams and the Legend of Dark Mountain (1999)
Television
- It Takes a Thief (1 episode, 1970)
- The Love Boat (1 episode, 1978)
- Solid Gold (host, 1981–1984, 1986–1988)
- The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984)
- New Love, American Style (1 episode, 1986)
- The Fall Guy (1 episode, 1986)
- Days of our Lives (Unknown episodes, 1986–1987)
- Punky Brewster (1 episode, 1988)
- Night Court (1 episode, 1990)
- The Kingdom Chums Original Top Ten (voice) (1990)
- The Jamie Foxx Show (2 episodes, 1999–2001)
References
- ^ www.Answers.com
- ^ www.Answers.com.
- ^ www.Answers.com
- ^ "Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., Celebrate Their 40th Wedding Anniversary July 26 – “Faith and Friendship Keep Us Together” | New Music Reviews, Music News, Music Videos, Lyrics and much more!". Newmusicreviews.net. http://newmusicreviews.net/marilyn-mccoo-and-billy-davis-jr-celebrate-their-40th-wedding-anniversary-july-26-faith-and-friendship-keep-us-together-2/. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- ^ "Los Angeles Mission Board of Directors". Los Angeles Mission. http://losangelesmission.org/AboutUs/BoardOfDirectors.aspx. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ The 700 Club - Billy Davis, Jr., and Marilyn McCoo: Still in Love
External links
- Official Website
- Marilyn McCoo at the Internet Movie Database
- Marilyn McCoo at the Internet Broadway Database
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Gale Contemporary Black Biography
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Mentioned in
The Me Nobody Knows
(1991 Album by Marilyn McCoo)
Chris Christian
(Gospel Artist, '70s-2000s)
Christmas Classics [Unison]
(1997 Album by Various Artists)
The Star: Songs of Christmas
(1996 Album by Various Artists)
Special Christmas, Vol. 1
(1999 Album by Various Artists)
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