Photo: Bruno of Hollywood / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Gore was sixteen when she cut 'It's My Party,' and the wild thing is that her best record might be the one she made next: 'You Don't Own Me,' a defiant kiss-off that sounds decades ahead of 1963. She was a teen idol who quietly refused to be anyone's product, both in that lyric and in how she lived. Coming out publicly later in life and championing LGBTQ causes gave her catalog a second emotional dimension. The Quincy Jones partnership produced some of the era's sharpest pop, and I think she's still underrated as an interpreter. That posthumous New Jersey Hall of Fame nod was overdue recognition.
Overview
Lesley Gore (May 2, 1946 - February 16, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress born in Brooklyn, New York. She became a teenage pop star in 1963 with the chart-topping hit 'It's My Party,' produced by Quincy Jones, followed by songs such as 'Judy's Turn to Cry' and the feminist anthem 'You Don't Own Me.' She later became an LGBTQ activist and was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2024. Gore died in 2015 at the age of 68.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Lesley Gore
- Name (Japanese)
- レスリー・ゴーア
- Reading
- れすりー・ごーあ
- Born
- May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Dog
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Singer-songwriter / Singer / Actor / Recording artist / Musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Sarah Lawrence College
Awards & achievements
- 2024 New Jersey Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Singer-songwriter — see all → · Singer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.