Artist:Lesley GoreSong:It's My Party
Album:Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows: The Best Of Lesley Gore
The 1963 #1 hit It's My Party was probably the biggest hit of the girl group era of the early 60s. It helped that Lesley Gore was 17. Teen girls could really identify with her. She was born Lesley Sue Goldstein May 2, 1946 in New York City and grew up in Tenafly, NJ. Her family changed their name to Gore soon after her birth. While still in high school, a couple of demos she recorded with her vocal coach got into the hands of Mercury Records A & R head Quincy Jones. The two selected It's My Party from over 200 songs and quickly recorded it when they learned that Phil Spector had planned to have The Crystals record it. Spector did have The Paris Sisters record the song later. The song hit number one in 1963. Jones and arranger Claus Ogerman were heavily influenced by Spector's Wall Of Sound and Lesley sounded like a kid. It's My Party was written by veteran songwriter producer Wally Gold along with John Gluck Jr. and Andrew Weiner. Gold wrote It's Now Or Never for Elvis Presley and at the time he produced Gene Pitney. He worked for music mogul Don Kirshner for many years and discovered the group Kansas in the early 70s. The sequel Judy's Turn To Cry also was a top ten hit. She never reached #1 again but Lesley had several hits in the mid-60s. This Rhino comp has them all. Lesley Gore attented Sarah Lawrence College instead of going into acting but by the late 60s, her singing career faded. Lesley Gore has continued to perform and released a new CD in 2005. Here's Lesley Gore performing It's My Party on Hollywood-A-Go-Go in 1965.
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