Lamonte McLemore
Lamonte McLemore | |
|---|---|
 1971 (cropped) | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Herman Lamonte McLemore September 17, 1935 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | February 3, 2026 (aged 90) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop music |
| Occupations |
|
| Formerly of | The 5th Dimension |
Herman Lamonte McLemore (September 17, 1935 – February 3, 2026) was an American vocalist, actor, composer and photographer. He was a founding member of The 5th Dimension, a popular vocal group of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Early life
[edit]Herman Lamonte McLemore was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 17, 1935.[1]
Baseball
[edit]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.[1]
Photography
[edit]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.[2] McLemore was the first African American photographer hired by Harper's Bazaar magazine and was the photographer for Stevie Wonder's first album cover. He was a photographer for Jet and Ebony magazines for over 40 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.[1]
He also worked as a professional photographer for Playboy and People magazines.[3]
Songwriting
[edit]McLemore co-wrote two songs recorded by The 5th Dimension, "A Love Like Ours" (with Bob Alcivar)[4] and "The Singer" (with Elliot Willensky).[5]
Personal life and death
[edit]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.[6][7]
McLemore died at his home in Las Vegas, on February 3, 2026, at the age of 90 after suffering a stroke.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Lamonte McLemore". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ Nelson, Laura J. (5 January 2020). "Cliff Hall, an inventor who photographed Los Angeles high society, dies at 94". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Lamonte McLemore Photography Website". Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "Lamonte McLemore, Bob Alcivar – A Love Like Ours". 45cat.com.
- ^ "Elliot Willensky, Lamonte McLemore – The Singer". 45cat.com.
- ^ McLemore, Lamonte; Arno, Robert-Allan (2014). "From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension". Amazon.com. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ "Interview with Lamonte McLemore". YouTube.com. 10 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ Cashmere, Paul (5 February 2026). "LaMonte McLemore Dies At 90, The 5th Dimension Co-Founder And Cultural Chronicler". Noise11. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
External links
[edit]- Lamonte McLemore discography at Discogs
- Lamonte McLemore at IMDb
| National | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
- 1935 births
- 2026 deaths
- Musicians from St. Louis
- Singers from Missouri
- 20th-century American composers
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century American male singers
- African-American composers
- African-American male composers
- African-American photographers
- American photographers
- Baseball players from Missouri
- 20th-century American sportsmen