ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., as they celebrate 40 years together
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By Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News ServiceLOS ANGELES, CA (ANS) -- In a business that chomps marriages for breakfast, the McCoo/Davis union is a remarkable accomplishment.
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., last week celebrated not only their 40th wedding anniversary, but also forty years in the entertainment business.
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.
The couple, which first met as members of The 5th Dimension in 1965, says there's no magic bullet to having a successful marriage, in or out of the entertainment business.
A media release obtained by ANS says they have put together a 40th Anniversary Celebration Tour.
The couple is performing a musical tribute of the hits and productions that have made up their multi-faceted careers at performing art centers, casinos and other venues around the country.
"In our case faith and friendship keeps us together," McCoo states. "They may not be the sexiest of ideals but they sure work for us! Our friendship carried us through our early years of challenges, and our faith has given us the strength and answers to work through problems that could have destroyed our marriage."
Adds Davis: "Our relationship started out with us becoming very close friends before we even dated. We shared our lives and philosophies and our love of music with each other. We began to realize how much we had in common and, from this, love blossomed. When we first married, our friendship was our strong bond. As time passed, we began to realize that something was lacking in our spiritual lives. As we found our spiritual direction and grew in our faith, we became even closer."
The duo has enjoyed tremendous success through the years as recording artists, performers, actors and authors. They have received 7 Grammy Awards and earned 15 gold and 3 platinum records, and enjoyed starring roles on television and stage. They have performed to sold-out concerts around the world. Throughout their careers both have also enjoyed solo pursuits.
As lead vocalist of one of the top singing groups of the late 60's and early 70's, The 5th Dimension, McCoo and Davis recorded such classics as "Up, Up & Away," "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In," "Wedding Bell Blues," "One Less Bell To Answer," "Stoned Soul Picnic" and other chart toppers. After a decade they decided to leave the group and establish themselves as a duo. They had immediate success with "You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)." It was a #1 hit and earned them a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group.
"We often get asked if after all these years we get tired of working, traveling and just being together so much," Davis says. "I have to say 'absolutely not.' We feel like something important is missing when one of us goes somewhere without the other. When we are traveling separately, we are constantly on the phone with each other."
The couple wrote an autobiographical book several years ago, which shares their secrets of staying happy and committed to each other. The book is entitled 'Up, Up and Away.How We Found Love, Faith and Marriage in the Entertainment World.'
In it, they talk about how they met, their successful music careers and their major struggles behind closed doors. While no longer in print, the book is available through their Website (www.mccoodavis.com) and online bookstores.
The positive response to their story has encouraged them to begin work on a second, more in-depth seminar project consisting of steps for strengthening togetherness and making relationships flourish in today's hectic, demanding pace.
McCoo and Davis recently released a new CD entitled 'The Many Faces of Love,' which is a collection of meaningful love songs from their era of the '60's and '70's. Its unique interactive features include videos, interviews, bonus songs and rare photos, all accessible through one's computer.
The Many Faces of Love explores the various aspects of relationships.
"It is not just about the first blush of love, but also about the challenges and difficulties experienced in attaining lasting love that we were seeking in the songs we chose," said McCoo.
"Now, forty years later, we are better friends than we've ever been and still very much in love. We're having a great time together," they both concur.
"Let's face it, you can't spend this many years with another person if you don't only love them, but like and respect them."
** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael has traveled to Albania and the former Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany and the former Czechoslovakia, Israel, and Canada. He has reported for ANS from Jordan, China, Russia, Jamaica, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649,at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.'
** You may republish this story with proper attribution.
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