Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. have enjoyed tremendous success through the years as recording artists, performers and authors. They have received seven Grammy Awards and earned 15 gold and three platinum records and enjoyed starring roles on television and stage. They have performed to sold-out concerts around the world.As lead vocalists of The 5th Dimension, one of the top singing groups of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, McCoo and Davis recorded such classics as “Up, Up & Away,” “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” “Stoned Soul Picnic” and other chart toppers.
After more than a decade with The 5th Dimension, they decided to leave the group and establish themselves as a duo. They had immediate success with the #1 single, “You Don’t Have to be a Star (to be in My Show)” that earned them a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
That success piqued network interest and CBS-TV premiered The Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. Show as a prime-time summer series in 1977. Entering the ‘80s as an international success, they headlined in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Atlantic City, played to SRO crowds in concerts across the country and won the prestigious Grand Prize at the international Tokyo Music Festival.
In addition to the success they’ve had together, McCoo and Davis have also enjoyed solo pursuits. McCoo hosted the popular 1980s television music series Solid Gold for five years and Davis had the chance to realize a lifelong dream to record a religious album with gospel great, the Rev. James Cleveland, entitled, “Let Me Have a Dream.” He also began to explore theatrical opportunities, starring in the hit musical BLUES IN THE NIGHT at the prestigious Old Globe Theatre and in the role of James “Thunder” Early in a regional production of DREAMGIRLS.
The duo were invited to perform for the Pontiff during the 1987 U.S. visit of Pope John Paul II, and have participated in inaugural celebrations for presidents of the United States. In the early ‘90s, McCoo and Davis joined the original members of The 5th Dimension for a special reunion tour, and in August, 1991, the group was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
In 2004, the couple wrote a book which shares their secrets of staying happy and committed to each other in Hollywood entitled “Up, Up and Away…How We Found Love, Faith and Marriage in the Entertainment World.”
