ArtistInfo

The Versatiles

voc,
Singer of R&B/Soul
A.k.a. The Fifth Dimension

In 1965, the quintet, with their varied vocal backgrounds, named their group The Versatiles. They put together a demo tape and sent Lamonte to Detroit to see Berry Gordy at Motown Records. Gordy listened to the demo tape and was impressed with their sound but didn’t hear chart hits with the songs. He asked McLemore to return with more songs for him to hear. Lamonte returned home and the group continued to sing at local L.A. clubs. Their future manager, Marc Gordon, would soon help change their lives. He was a director of West Coast Operations at Motown Records. Gordon was in the process of leaving Motown when he heard The Versatiles and offered to manage them. They recorded "You’re Good Enough For Me" and "Bye Bye Baby", both co-written by Marc Gordon on the Bronco label. It wasn’t until Gordon introduced the group to Johnny Rivers, who was starting Soul City Records, that something exciting started to happen. Johnny Rivers instantly liked their sound and decided to produce them. He wanted them to change their outdated group name and look. Now called "The Fifth Dimension" and with their new "mod" outfits, they were ready.