Florence LaRue and her iconic group, The 5th Dimension, are back in the spotlight in Questlove's hit documentary, Summer of Soul.
Music lovers are heading back to the 60's!
LaRue and her bandmates are spotlighted as a few of the major performers at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. LaRue opened up on the event's resurgence in popularity on the documentary.
"It was a pleasant surprise to me because I didn't know, first of all, that it was being filmed and then I didn't know that it was out. It's been over fifty-some years for me. We're still performing all over the world to sellout crowds, so to look back and see that... what a pleasant memory it is," LaRue said.
Questlove's documentary examines the impact the festival had on the Civil Rights movement and on Black culture as a whole.
The celebration lasted six weeks and featured some of the biggest names in music at the time. Even today, the ripples of such a zesty and massive event continue to be felt in pop culture, including The 5th Dimension's impact on music.
"I've been blessed with such a wonderful career, but blessed to be a blessing to other people. I enjoy mentoring young people, teaching them what I've learned in these over 50 years with The 5th Dimension."
Now, LaRue's expanding on her incredibly successful career. Beyond Summer of Soul, she's also commemorating her achievements with a new book, Grace in Your Second Act: A Guide to Aging Gracefully. This book is available in stores now.
"Here I am. In February, I'll be 80. I'm going to teach the young people to prepare for their second act, and for those who are in the second act, to enjoy it."
She also mentioned that The 5th Dimension was considering a return to creating music, several decades after the release of their last new album.
"We haven't recorded in over 40 years, so we're thinking about doing a new CD. I personally have always wanted to do a spiritual CD, and I have about 20 years to make some of these dreams come true, so I'm gonna get out there and do them."
Summer of Soul is available to stream on Hulu.
