Did You Know? Fifth Dimension Songstress Marilyn McCoo Lived in Columbus GA as a Child?

EXCERPT from The HistoryMakers:

Marilyn McCoo describes her family history. 

Her mother, Mary Ellen Holloway McCoo, was born on January 14, 1913 in Charleston, South Carolina to Leticia Campbell Holloway and William Holloway. William Holloway was a Pullman porter and eventually moved his family to New Jersey. 

Inspired by Dr. Lena Edwards to pursue medicine, McCoo’s mother attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee and later became an anesthesiologist. McCoo’s father, Wayman McCoo, was born on March 9th, 1909 in Eufaula, Alabama to Anna Coffee McCoo and Thomas McCoo. 

Thomas McCoo was a doctor and a graduate of Leonard Medical Center who played a role in the integration of Eufaula, Alabama. Wayman McCoo also graduated from Meharry Medical School and became a general practitioner. 

Prior to becoming a doctor, Wayman McCoo pursued a singing career and sang with Fletcher Henderson. McCoo’s parents met at school and moved to Columbus, Georgia before settling down in Los Angeles, California when McCoo was seven years old.

She received her B.S. degree in business administration from the University of California-Los Angeles. In 1965, McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, Florence LaRue, Ron Townson and Billy Davis, Jr. formed the singing group The 5th Dimension. 

From 1966 to 1975, the group recorded a number of hit songs, including the Grammy Award-winning “Up, Up, and Away” and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." 

McCoo and Davis, Jr. married and left The 5th Dimension in 1975. Together, they released the Grammy-winning single, "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" in 1976. 

McCoo went on to host television shows and released solo albums. She appeared on Broadway and acted in a number of movies. In 2004, McCoo and Davis co-authored the book Up, Up and Away…How We Found Love, Faith and Lasting Marriage in the Entertainment World.

The Fifth Dimension