Profile of Lesley Gore on Famous Like Me

Lesley Gore (born May 2, 1945 in New York City) is an American singer and songwriter, one of the best known performers of the girl group era.

Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, Gore was discovered as a teenager. Her first single at age 16 was the #1 hit "It's My Party", still perhaps her best known recording, which also made #9 in Britain. It was followed by others, including "Judy's Turn to Cry" (the sequel to "It's My Party"), "She's a Fool", the proto-feminist "You Don't Own Me", and "Maybe I Know". Her record producer was Quincy Jones, who would later become one of the most famous producers in American music. It was Jones' continued success with Gore that made him famous in his own right.

Instead of accepting the television and movie contracts that came her way, Gore chose to attend Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. This limited her public career to weekends and summer vacations and undoubtedly hurt her career. Nevertheless, throughout the mid-1960's, Gore continued to be the one of the most popular female singers in the United States and Canada.

By the late 1960s, though, her fame lessened as popular tastes evolved towards a harder-edged, psychedelic sound. Her last major hit was "California Nights" (1967), after which she continued to stay busy in the music industry, performed at concerts and in cabarets and achieved noted success as a professional songwriter, including composing songs for the soundtrack of the 1980 film, Fame. She received an Academy Award nomination for "Out Here on My Own" written with her brother Michael.

Gore continues to be busy, playing concerts, appearing on television, and recently (2005) recording a self-produced and critically-acclaimed CD, "Ever Since". She is also known for tackling a variety of musical genres, including a credible take on AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".

Although Gore did not officially come out until late in her career, her lesbianism was not exactly a secret. The 1996 film Grace of My Heart featured a character (played by Bridget Fonda) whose industry struggles over her sexual orientation were similar to Gore's. Beginning in 2004 Gore could be seen hosting the PBS series In the Life, which focused on GLBT issues. Gore currently lives with her partner of over twenty-three years, as well as a few pets.

Discography

Standard albums

• 1963: I'll Cry if I Want To (US #24)
• 1963: Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts (US #125)
• 1964: Boys, Boys, Boys (US #127)
• 1964: Girl Talk (US #146)
• 1965: My Town, My Guy & Me (US #120)
• 1966: Lesley Gore Sings All About Love
• 1967: California Nights (US #169)
• 1972: Someplace Else Now
• 1975: Love Me By Name
• 2005: Ever Since

Compilations

• 1965: The Golden Hits of Lesley Gore (US #95)

Singles

• 1963: "It's My Party" (US #1, UK #9)
• 1963: "Judy's Turn to Cry" (US #5)
• 1963: "She's a Fool" (US #5)
• 1964: "You Don't Own Me" (US #2)
• 1964: "That's the Way Boys Are" (US #12)
• 1964: "I Don't Wanna Be a Loser" (US #37)
• 1964: "Maybe I Know" (US #14)
• 1964: "Hey Now" (US #76)
• 1964: "Sometimes I Wish I Were a Boy" (US #86)
• 1965: "Look of Love" (US #27)
• 1965: "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" (US #13)
• 1965: "My Town, My Guy and Me" (US #32)
• 1966: "Young Love" (US #50)
• 1966: "We Know We're in Love" (US #76)
• 1967: "California Nights" (US #16)
• 1967: "Summer and Sandy" (US #65)
• 1967: "Brink of Disaster" (US #82)

Other chart hits in Cashbox and/or Record World include "Off and Running", "Treat Me Like A Lady", "Small Talk", "He Gives Me Love (La La La)". Gore was given first shot at recording "A Groovy Kind of Love", but her then-producer Shelby Singleton refused to let her record a song with the word "groovy" in it. The song, by the Mindbenders, rocketed to #1.

Television Appearances

• Ed Sullivan
• American Bandstand
• Mike Douglas
• Merv Griffin
• Donna Reed
• Batman (starring as the "Pink Pussycat")
• Johnny Carson
• Shindig
• Hullabaloo
• Days of Our Lives
• Murphy Brown
• Hollywood Squares
• Dinah Shore
• NBC Midnight Special
• PBS In the Life
• A Capitol Fourth

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Lesley Gore