Career
Born in Saint Louis in 1933, Townson started singing at age six and was a featured soloist on various choirs throughout his school years. Townson toured with Wings Over Jordan for eight years while still in school and was their choir director for 2 years. He worked his way through Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri by conducting the University and Church Choirs.
He also played football and ran track in college.
Townson left Saint Louis to pursue a musical career in Los Angeles, California. He met Dorothy Dandridge and toured with her for two years, took part in the Samuel Goldwyn motion picture production of Porgy & Bess, and toured with National King Cole.
He also organized and conducted his own 35-voice a cappella choir in Los Los Angeles In 1965, Townson and fellow Saint Louis natives Billy Davis, Junior. and Lamonte McLemore joined female vocalists Marilyn McCoo and Florence LaRue to form The Versatiles.
The name was a reference to their varied style in music, but producer Johnny Rivers thought the name was outdated.
He wanted a newer sounding name for the group, and they soon came up with The 5th Dimension. They began cutting records for Rivers" Soul City Records music label that year. In 1976, after 10 successful years with The 5th Dimension, Townson left the group for a while.
During his time away, he made a guest appearance on the television series Switch, cut records, performed solo, and formed his own group, Ron Townson and Wild Honey.
By 1980, he decided to reunite with The 5th Dimension. In 1981, he and fellow group members Joyce Wright, Michael Procter, Florence LaRue and Lamonte McLemore starred in Fats Waller"s Ain"t Misbehavin" to excellent reviews.
lieutenant was a huge success and they went on the road for some performances in 1991 as The Original 5th Dimension. That year, the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1992, Townson appeared in the Warner Brothers film The Mambo Kings.
Townson left The 5th Dimension for good in 1997. He involved himself with other business ventures and served on the board of directors of the Cambridge-Kilpatrick Acting School. He was honored at Lincoln University with the school"s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Townson moved to Las Vegas in 1999 and died in his home there on August 2, 2001, of renal failure after a four-year battle with kidney disease.
