DYK: A Singer from “The Fifth Dimension” was/is also a Professional Photographer?

by | Feb 19, 2018 | Opinion | 1 comment

BIO
Copyrighted 2008

I was born in St. Louis, MO, under the zodiac sign of Virgo, though I sang about “Aquarius.

” I was one of four children and dreamed of playing baseball, pitching for the Cardinals just to escape poverty.

I loved to play cowboys and Indians, with a cap pistol in one holster and a camera in the other.

Though I did not succeed at pitching for the Cardinals, I joined the U.S. Navy as a Steward and played baseball for the Navy special services in San Francisco, which led to my being signed to a minor league contract with the L.A. Dodgers. That potential baseball career was ended by a car accident, but I still played in some entertainment leagues.

As many minorities did at the time, I had very few opportunities for advancing to my chosen position as a Naval photographer, but I purchased my first 35mm camera while stationed in Adak, Alaska.

I took my outgoing pay of $550 after discharge from the Navy and purchased a $300 used medium-format camera. Using the other $250, I had to find a place to stay with my dreams of making it big in ‘big bad’ Hollywood.

Early in my photography career, I was able to get jobs photographing models for Harper’s Bazaar in Los Angeles, going on photo shoots for Johnson Publications–including JET and Ebony magazines. I was also able to land a few assignments at Playboy Enterprises and People magazine. I and some other “rising stars” started our own fashion magazines, called ‘Elegant’ and ‘Elegant Teen’.

Though they were unique publishing concepts at the time, I then put my photography ambitions on the back burner for 20 years to take my musical seat with none other than the incomparable four -Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis, and Ron Townsend- otherwise known as …

“The Fifth Dimension.”

Lamonte McLemore

Lamonte McLemore, The Fifth Dimension

My name is Lamonte McLemore, Professional Photographer and Singer, “The Fifth Dimension.”

***
I still travel, sing, and do my photography gigs with some of the most exciting and beautiful and exotic people, places, and marvels worldwide.

When I go on tour, my camera is still around my neck, and I love photographing beautiful ladies, especially the only two kinds of women there are in the world — foreign and domestic. The female body is an art form and I have been photographing them, and much much more, for more than 25 years.

-30-

Keep up to date with everything going on in the Urban Intellectuals Universe.

Black History is World History — and we need you with us! Sign up for empowering stories, exclusive updates, and first access to everything Urban Intellectuals.

Fill in your details below to get started!

Blog post opt-in form 2 (#8) - Bottom of Posts (Active)

1 Comment

  1. nomad

    living the dream

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories