RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Lesley should have been one of the very first performers inducted. What's taking so long?

Absolutely a top performer in her day. As good as or better than others already in.

it's my potty

NO

What a great night we had last year in Peoria, Illinois lisening to Leslie Gore. Memories Precious Memories she brought back to my wife and I. It is unbelieveable that she is not in the Hall of Fame of Rock and Roll. It must be that bunch of kids are making the selection. She belongs there, so come on get it done.

You Don't Own Me was the first feminist anthem. Get with it, people.

if anyone deserves to be in the rock and roll hall of fame it is lesley. she was the #1 female singer of her time having many hits. and she is still here as great and strong as ever actually better than ever!

NEW LESLEY GORE RECORD FOR 2005 Ever Since On Engine Company Records LESLEY GORE - THE UPDATE You know what Im going to say when people ask me what Ive been doing for 30 years? Practicing. A wry smile crosses Lesley Gores face as she answers, both out of respect for the artistic process she is eternally engaged in, and out of the confidence that her practice has been paying off all along. Every time she steps on stage, and with every phrase of her new album, Ever Since, she answers joyfully, furiously, generously, and completely. This has been time well spent. The most commercially successful solo artist of the Girl Group era of the 60s, Gore quickly set herself apart. With a string of Quincy Jones-produced, chart-topping hits, including Its My Party, Judys Turn To Cry, and You Dont Own Me, she introduced the world to a brilliant artist with pop instincts and an independent spirit that stood out against the formulaic offerings on the radio. A full-fledged star by age 16, her smash hits rang like anthems for young American women, and pointed the way for future generations of rabble-rousing pop singers from Debbie Harry, to Pat Benatar, to Madonna, to Gwen Stefaniall of whom remain in her debt. Having maintained a constant touring schedule in major venues across the country, Lesley Gore is no less committed today. Her voice, now burnished from the years of practice, deepens everything it touches with the hard-won wisdom of time, and in her care, songs take on new levels of meaning that less experienced artists cannot yet reach. On Not The First, (written by Gore), she warns a friend about the perils of blind love (youre not the first/ to think youll be the last,), but could just as easily be warning Avril Lavigne about the perils of the music business. When she lilts, All the parties Ive been to/ you were missed (Ever Since), she draws listeners back to her #1 hit, Its My Party, while ushering them gracefully forward into the new world she now inhabits. Produced by Blake Morgan, Ever Since is a timeless collection of classic songs placed in a transparent, pin-lit setting that allows her to shine. Included are re-imagined versions of two Lesley Gore standards, You Don't Own Me and the Academy Awardnominated Out Here On My Own (from Fame), seamlessly interwoven with new songs written by national recording artists Mike Errico, Blake Morgan, and Gore herself. The bandJonathan Ellinghaus (drums), John Turner (bass), Mike Errico (guitars) and Blake Morgan (piano)features the core rhythm section of Engine Company Records, and provides a lush setting for Lesley's astonishing vocals. Mixing and mastering duties are shared between Morgan and 2005 Grammy Award winner Phil Nicolo. Ever Since is a Lesley Gore postcard, sent from the journey shed always said she was going to take. Fans who have traveled with her will have a new reason to love her, and the people who havent checked in with her in a while will fall in love all over again. [www.lesleygore.com]

She was great, and she deserves the RNRHOF

About nine years before Helen Reddy released I Am Woman Lesley Gore was proclaiming individuality for women with her song You Don't Own Me. Although she is best known for It's My Party Lesley had a string of other hits which in my view, were a cut above what other female artists and girl groups were doing at that time. True, she wasn't immune from the feel good personna completely with such songs as Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows but while others were singing I Want To Be Bobby's Girl or I Love Him and Where He Goes I'll Follow Lesley was releasing songs such as Maybe I Know That He's Been Cheating. While other songs of the day were pleasant and friendly to the ear, Lesley's songs contained a good number of minor chords giving them a darker, more serious tone. She was number two on the charts and climbing up to number one when she got knocked down by a bunch of newcomers named the Beatles. Lesley's songs were better than most of the songs that other women in rock were releasing, she had a message of independence and smartness in most of them and I feel she deserves to be placed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.