MARILYN & BILLY EXCLUSIVE NOW! In a 2-day interview held July 20-21,
2011 for our 3rd
Anniversary of the globally-acclaimed Blog-zine
FOREVER 5th DIMENSION now available in 2 Parts (*see links below), after some catching up in what the duo warmly calls "fellowship," I began by asking the dynamic
Marilyn McCoo &
Billy Davis, Jr., "How does it feel to receive a type of feedback from people where they not only talk about how your artistry and essence of harmony meant so much and means so much but where '
Marilyn &
Billy' have become this couple that are not only arbiters of taste but of goodness, faith and marriage
...I coin it this way: 'Marilyn and Billy are angels on our collective shoulders.'"
Marilyn: "It sounds like very big shoes and I don't know if we can fill them (laughs). We're touched that you,
Robert and that others feel that way...we're just (sighs)..."
Billy: "I have to be honest with you, as far as people see us and treat us, it feels good. You feel like you're accomplishing the things that you've come here to do, but we quickly say for them to not give us the glory, but to give God the glory because he works through us and so we don't receive anything, we've already been blessed to be part of His body. It gives us the drive to go on, because it lets us know what we're doing in Christ is effective. That is the gift."
And so it went in our delightfully intensive 2 days of
Q & A, Marilyn & Billy portraying an authentic humbleness yet unadulterated joy in recounting their musical and life history, their creative collaborations old and new, their continuing to make their special brand of sizzling yet smooth Pop-Soul on recordings, on stages around the world, from
Manila to the
States to the upcoming "
Soulicious" tour this October in
England. "We'll always bring you the best Marilyn and Billy we can be!" Marilyn smiles with the verve of a teenager, the wisdom of a seasoned pro, as Billy seconds the emotion. As part of the festivities, Marilyn & Billy conduct an all-new mini
Master Class in the art of delivering a song, plus they answer the questions so many of you, the special fans have wanted to know about rarities like "
Leave a
Little Room," "
I'm on Your Side," "
The Love of God," "Saving
All My Love for You," the EARTHBOUND
album and those still in-the-vault tunes, where Marilyn finally reveals the title of a late '70's Don Davis-produced solo of hers that she feels "could have been a hit!"
To accompany this mighty 3rd Anniversary FOREVER 5th "MarBill exclusive," and in honor of their 42nd
Wedding Anniversary, I produced this YouTube presentation, the
Chuck Mangione composed, fantastically dreamy, plea for perfect
peace romp, remastered from their summer
TV series of
1977, "The Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr.
Show," complete with some fun patter that winks at their distinct styles.
MarBill comment: "Robert, we love '
Land of Make Believe!'
Once again you've provided us with the magical
Arno touch; what a beautiful anniversary gift!
Watching the video, hearing the performance took us all the way back to our TV series and the time we shot that song. They took special footage of us, some of which they used, at an annual event that used to happen in the
San Fernando Valley--The
Renaissance Faire. It truly was a "land of make believe!" We haven't thought about it in years!"
And we thank Marilyn & Billy for, to paraphrase the lyric, "learning the way of
The Land of Make Believe, and truly making this world of ours much brighter."
Robert-Allan Arno
Biographer, The original
5th Dimension
copyright 2011
Essential Links:
*
Join us for "
Reflections of
Angels: A Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr.
Exclusive:"
*Part 1 is at
http://www.myspace.com/thesoulofvoice/blog/543851402
*Part 2 at http://www.myspace.com/thesoulofvoice/blog/543857841
**
The Collector's Edition: Marilyn & Billy's latest CD, THE MANY FACES OF
LOVE is not only interactive but now a
Collector's Edition, featuring their special interpretations of the greatest Pop-Soul
Love Songs of the 60's,
70's & 80's. Go to their main page, the
Band Box, to get your autographed copy & even a free song download at:
http://www.mccoodavis.com
Special thanks with love to Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr., LaMonte & Mieko McLemore,
Florence LaRue & The (current) 5th Dimension,
Bones Howe.
With
Appreciation to:
David Brokaw,
Randall Jeffries and all the worldwide fans of The 5th and "MarBill" whose spirit was present throughout our interview exclusive.
Video photo credits: The Arno 5th Dimension/McCoo/
Davis Legacy Collection, courtesy of
Andy Gard, Ryuji Riijima, The exclusive
LaMonte McLemore Collection, all rights reserved.
FOREVER 5th DIMENSION is a copyrighted production of The
Soul of
the Voice, Ltd., 2011, all rights reserved.
- published: 23 Jul 2011
- views: 2512