The 5th Dimension - "One Less Bell To Answer" (1970)

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.

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.

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 married fellow Fifth Dimension bandmate Billy Davis, Jr., and they are still together. On July 26, 2009, they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. 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 has no children. She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority. As of January 2010 she is Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Mission.

Category:

Music

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• 5th
• Dimension
• Marilyn
• McCoo
• One
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• 1970
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[tr0255]

I remember listening to this song, when I was on my way to Viet Nam.along with another group the chi lites. sure brings back memories

[TheBacmaster]

@tr0255 Funny you should mention the Chi-Lites! I just finished a video hours ago, however it was blocked by WMG worldwide. I'll send it to you now. Happy New Year brother Veteran!

[troyboy7962]

beautiful. didn"t somebody sing this on an episode of Glee?

[TheBacmaster]

@troyboy7962 Yes, that's correct.

[kenlo77]

A little trivia ... This was released, and then pulled so it could be introduced on "It takes a Thief" TV series ... with Robert Wagoner We saw Marylin McKoo perform on a casino boat in Vicksburg ... pretty voice...

[TheBacmaster]

@kenlo77 Thank you kindly for sharing that with other viewers...

Joe

[KOMET2006]

One of the most beautiful (and yet bittersweet) love songs I've ever heard. Takes me back to the early 1970s, when I first heard this song. LUV IT STILL.

[aljabi2008]

THIS IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL WHEN MY HUSBAND LEAVES ME EVERY 6 MONTHS TO GO OVERSEAS. AND I STAY BEHIND BECAUSE I HAVE TO RUN THE BUSINESS.

[metallicarules1234]

i grew up on this song and all the others on the time life am gold cds. every summer of my childhood was comprised of them

[lsmoulton]

Viva la Bacharach !

[27132lower]

I wasn't expecting to see first class pictures of the highest rank

[lowalevo13]

this is a sad but very well made song that i listen too every so often ,kind of soothing

[MustafaJackson]

Beautiful.

[blackandtanful]

ﾊﾞｶﾗｯｸ&ﾃﾞｲヴｨｯﾄﾞの極上ﾁｭｰﾝ､ﾏﾘﾘﾝ･ﾏｯ­ｸｰのｿｳﾙﾌﾙ･ヴｫｰｶﾙが輝く,5th･ﾃﾞｨﾒﾝｼｮﾝ­"悲しみは鐘の音とともに”OneLessBellToAnsw­er