Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr. on how faith animates their music | Entertainment News

For Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. of Grammy-winning group The 5th Dimension, faith has always been the driving force behind their decades-long musical careers.

“There is no greater honor than to work for the Lord,” Davis told the Christian Post.

The husband-wife duo, who have been married for over three decades, co-founded the original The 5th Dimension, known for classics such as “One Less Bell to Answer”, “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In”, “Wedding Bell Blues ”and“ Sweet blindness ”.

A devout Christian who grew up in the church – and became a pastor himself – Davis said that while the band’s songs are not overtly religious, many of them are imbued with “gospel flavor.”

“Growing up in the church and being a believer is just a part of something that’s right in you,” said the 83-year-old.

“It doesn’t mean that I converted to secular music, but… that’s all I wanted to do in my life. But I also didn’t want to deny my faith and my background. So I just brought it with me. The songs we sang were going to end up having a gospel flavor because that’s what I came out of. “

The couple, who over the course of their 60-plus-year careers have broken countless racial and cultural barriers, are among a number of iconic artists featured in “Summer of Soul.” The acclaimed music documentary premiered on Hulu this weekend and is shown in theaters nationwide.

For six days in 1969, tens of thousands of people gathered in a Harlem park to watch performances by The 5th Dimension, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, BB King, David Ruffin of The Temptations, Gladys Knight and others. .

More than 40 hours of the Harlem Cultural Festival were filmed by television producer Hal Tulchin, but the footage remained in the basement for almost 50 years. Thanks to lead director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots, these images are finally available in a breathtaking two-hour documentary. “Summer of Soul” is not just an excerpt from a concert; it is an exploration of black politics, art, fashion and culture in the 1960s.

Dressed in bright orange and yellow outfits, The 5th Dimension performed their hit song “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In” at the festival. For the band, the opportunity to perform at the festival was monumental, as they had been unfairly dubbed, as McCoo points out in the documentary, “the black band with white sound”.

So watching the footage for the first time five decades after they were filmed, McCoo recalls, was just awesome.

“We were really happy to be there because it was a free concert,” recalls McCoo. “And we had the chance to go and play in front of a large group of our own people who very rarely came to have the chance to come and see what The 5th Dimension was doing because a lot of times our tickets could be too expensive for them to afford. come.

“But it was a free concert, and they brought their kids and they were there, they were ready to have a good time, they were excited about it. And I just remember it; I just remember it all. the feeling of the environment and the energy of that day was great.

Watch the interview below:

Earlier this summer, the couple also released their first album in nearly three decades, Blackbird: Lennon-McCarthy Icons. Recorded during the COVID pandemic, the album pays homage to songs written by Beatles songwriters John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

“We wanted to reach out and encourage people to try to get to know each other and start showing love and caring for each other,” McCoo said, adding that many of the Beatles’ hits matched the message that the couple wanted to pass. deliver.

“We are more alike than we are different, and we just felt like this project gave us a chance to communicate it to our audience,” she continued.

The music of the Beatles, Davis acknowledged, can be interpreted in different ways. The cover of Davis and McCoo’s song “Help”, steeped in gospel, for example, is reminiscent of a prayer pleading with God to help him fight hatred.

“That’s the way it’s interpreted,” Davis explained. “They were asking for help, but I took it more in an evangelical way of how I felt help was needed and coming from a place above. You are really giving all your heart for this help and asking the One who could really help you to help you.

The album also reflects the duo’s commitment to civil rights. The song “Ticket to Ride” is a tribute to Rosa Parks, the mother of the civil rights movement who refused to give way to a white man, while “Blackbird” is a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the name of Justice.

“We’re so excited about the response we’ve received from people who have listened to the project and said how touched they were with these songs,” McCoo explained.

The songwriter couple said they prayed that listeners take their message of love and inclusion to heart – “and that they understand where we come from, what we are, what we are. have to do and what we’re trying to do. say, ”Davis added.

“One of the things is that we pray [is that] this project we worked on, Blackbird: Lennon-McCarthy Icons, will be something… that will bring some healing and some unity to our nation that we so badly need right now, ”he said.

“Summer of Soul” (rated PG-13) is now in theaters streaming on Hulu.