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ICON Marilyn McCoo Speaks About Her Life and Upcoming Performance at The Rialto Center for the Arts

Iconic Duo Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. will perform on Saturday, January 21st, at the Rialto Center for the Arts. They've entertained us for decades and this show promises not to disappoint!
Rialto Center for the Arts
Iconic Duo Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. will perform on Saturday, January 21st, at the Rialto Center for the Arts. They've entertained us for decades and this show promises not to disappoint!

The legendary Marilyn McCoo joins us today to speak about her upcoming concert with partner and husband Billy Davis, Jr. at the Rialto Theatre on Saturday, January 21st, at 8PM. For decades, the 7-time Grammy Award-winning duo has graced us with their art, creativity, and innovation. Ms. McCoo joins us to talk about this upcoming concert, her life, and her career.

While most people know Ms. McCoo and her husband, Billy Davis, Jr., form the dynamic and innovative group The Fifth Dimension, her career started much earlier.

I ask her about one of her first media appearances on the Art Linkletter show. McCoo says that she does remember the experience. She was nervous and sang a song. She shared that she knew then that she wanted to sing.

McCoo is a graduate of UCLA, and she explains that her older sister graduated from UCLA, and she followed in her footsteps. Her parents wanted her to have a backup in case her career in song didn’t work. McCoo tells young aspiring artists to finish college and get their degrees. Her education allowed her to gain knowledge and prepped her for the future. When I asked her about joining the Fifth Dimension, she said it started while singing with a band at UCLA. Lamont McClemore, another founding member of the Fifth Dimension, was also a part of this group. They had a following and came to the attention of Ray Charles. He asked them to participate on his tour as the opening act. Her mother allowed this only if she promised to return to school and finish.

While she learned a lot on tour, she returned to UCLA. After finishing her degree, Lamont McClemore, Billy Davis, Jr., and Ronald Townson, all from St. Louis, and Florence LaRue and McCoo, rounded out the new group that became The Fifth Dimension.

In addition to a singing career, McCoo and Davis hosted their own variety show. They were an integral part of the Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul, and their latest album Blackbird-Lennon McCartney Icons, is on the Billboard charts. They also appear in the Magnolia Hills production of The Waltons movies filmed here in Atlanta.

Tickets for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. at the Rialto

For more information on Marilyn McCoo and Bily Davis, Jr.