"stoned soul picnic" is an event full of good

food, good friends and good fun.

definition, the Fifth Dimension concert this Friday and

Saturday at the Frederick Brown Amphitheater will be a

"stoned soul picnic" and fun for the whole

family.

The Fifth

Dimension, a harmonic soul group popular in the late

1960s, is best known for its hits "Up, Up and

Away" and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,"

as well as "Wedding Bell Blues" and of course,

"Stoned Soul Picnic." The group has released

over a dozen hit albums and has received 14 gold records.

Currently,

the group is made up of original members Florence LaRue

and Lamont McLemore, along with newer members Phyllis

Battle, Greg Walker and Willie Williams.

"I'm

like the mother of the group," said LaRue.

"Lamont is the comedian, Greg is an amazing vocalist

and an aspiring writer, Phyllis brings a jazzy element

and Willie is the glue. He is the newest member but is

very group oriented and very spiritual. He is also an

awesome tenor."

The Fifth

Dimension got its first break with the song "Up, Up

and Away." Larue never expected it to be a hit,

because it did not sound like other hits of the day.

"It was too pretty," recalls Larue. "It

bridged the generation gap, though, and everybody really

liked it. We ended up winning five Grammys with that one

song."

The group,

classified by many as "champagne soul," tours

close to 30 weeks a season. It has played all over the

country and world. The group has also toured the country

doing a production of the hit musical, "Ain't

Misbehavin'."

"That

really whet my appetite for musicals," said Larue.

"There is something magical about the theater. I

really enjoy it and would like to do more."

Though they

have achieved a lot, members of the Fifth Dimension still

have goals and aspirations. They would like to do a song

for a major motion picture and, though they have toured

the world, they have never played Africa. Larue also

dreams of playing with the Boston Pops.

The group

is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Members have stayed

true to their music over the years and continue to have a

lot of fun on stage.

"People

coming to our show can expect a good family show with a

lot of variety. We're very proud of that," Larue

said. "You can hear Fifth Dimension songs as well as

a number of others. It will be a real stoned soul

picnic."

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