| Lamonte McLemore | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Lamonte McLemore |
| Birth Date: | 17 September 1939 |
| Birth Place: | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genre: | Pop music |
| Occupation: | Singer, actor |
| Associated Acts: | The 5th Dimension |
Lamonte McLemore (born September 17, 1939) is an American vocalist, composer, and photographer. He was a founding member of The 5th Dimension, a popular vocal group of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
McLemore married Lisa Harvey and had a daughter named Ciara. In 2014, he wrote and published his autobiography with Robert-Allan Arno, From the Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension - A Life Fulfilled in Baseball, Photography, and Music.[1] [2]
McLemore was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
He is a professional photographer for Playboy, Ebony, Jet, People, and Harper's Bazaar magazines.[3]
McLemore was the first African American athlete to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals. After he moved to Los Angeles, he was a minor league strong-arm pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a short time.[4]
After he graduated from high school, McLemore enlisted in the United States Navy, and worked as an aerial photographer. He co-founded Halmont Graphics with Cliff Hall, and worked there as a photographer beginning in 1958. McLemore was the first African American photographer hired by Harper's Bazaar magazine and was the photographer for Stevie Wonder's first album cover. McLemore has been a photographer for Jet and Ebony magazines for over forty years. It was because of his photo shoot at the Miss Black Beauty Pageant in the mid-1960s that he met Marilyn McCoo and Florence LaRue which ultimately led to The 5th Dimension being created.
He co-wrote two songs recorded by The 5th Dimension, A Love Like Ours (with Bob Alcivar)[5] and The Singer (with Elliot Willensky).[6]