Marilyn McCoo
(born September 30 1943 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American singer and actress, who is well known for being the lead female vocalist in the group The 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series Solid Gold
.
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MARILYN MCCOO TICKETS
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Biography
Music career
In the early and mid-1960s, McCoo was a member of the
Hi-Fi's, who often opened for
Ray Charles. This group included
Lamonte McLemore, who would join McCoo in The 5th Dimension, as well as
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 group, then called The Versatiles. 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. Their follow-up was a
cover of
Laura Nyro's "
Stoned Soul Picnic". "
Wedding Bell Blues", featuring McCoo's most prominent vocal of that period, and a
medley of "
Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (from the musical
Hair
) both reached
No. 1 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1969 with "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In" winning the Grammy for 'Record of the Year'. 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. She later became involved with
James Reynolds' character
Abe Carver, and 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.
Personal life
McCoo married fellow bandmate Billy Davis, Jr., and they are still together. On July 26 2009, they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.
[1] 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. McCoo is a member of
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority.
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)
- 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
- http://newmusicreviews.net/marilyn-mccoo-and-billy-davis-jr-celebrate-their-40th-wedding-anniversary