Lesley Gore will headline the Saturday Night Showcase at New Hope’s third annual Pride Weekend, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’
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Loud and Proud
By: Jillian Kalonick
Instead of trying to move as far as possible from her chart topping ’60s hits, Lesley Gore puts a new spin on them on her first album in 30 years, Ever Since (Engine Company Records, 2005).
"You Don’t Own Me" is reworked, sounding much different in Ms. Gore’s now matured, smoky voice, and "It’s My Party" gets a nod with the title track ("All the parties I’ve been to/ you were missed").
Ms. Gore produced the album with musician Blake Morgan, the son of an old friend. "There have been a number of interesting collaborations lately Jack White producing Loretta Lynn, Rick Rubin producing Johnny Cash," says Ms. Gore, speaking by telephone. "When (Blake and I) sat down about two years ago and talked about doing the album, we based it on that model of younger producer with iconic singer, and it fit into that category."
The girl groups queen will perform ’60s hits along with songs from Ever Since when she headlines New Hope Celebrates’ Saturday Night Showcase at New Hope-Solebury High School May 20. Touring has been a pleasure, notes Ms. Gore, who wanted to make sure that would be the case when she made Ever Since.
"Our next big goal was to produce an album that we could reproduce onstage," she says. "Instead of using a 40-piece band that we’ll never see again on a stage, there’s a rhythm section, background singer, a lead voice the same people I can travel with. Many years ago when I recorded "It’s My Party" and "It’s My Turn to Cry," they’d be great records and then you’d get to a gig and instead of having a nice big band, you’d get two banjos and a washboard. This was an attempt to override that problem."
Ever Since features Blake Morgan on vocals, piano and music box; Mike Errico on guitar and lap steel; John Turner on bass; and Jonathan Ellinghaus on drums. Ms. Gore has a solo writing credit for "Not the First," and Mr. Morgan and Mr. Errico wrote for the album as well. Also included is "Out Here on My Own," which earned Ms. Gore and her brother, Michael Gore, an Academy Award nomination after it appeared in Fame.
Ms. Gore is enjoying her shows so much she’s considering recording a live album. "We’re really giving it some thought, because the show that I’m doing now combines new material from the album and classic hits," she says. "I know it sounds like column A and column B, but somehow they’ve blended together, and it takes on a wonderful, carefree kind of a tone. I have a tremendous amount of fun doing the show even doing classic stuff."
The album, which was released on Mr. Morgan’s Engine Company Records, can be purchased on www.lesleygore.com. Ms. Gore, who made it big with Quincy Jones as her producer, says that she thinks being young and in the music business is much harder today than it was in the ’60s. "If I were 16 or 17 and wanted to get into business, and ‘American Idol’ was the only way to do it, I couldn’t step up to the plate," she says. "To have no experience and to get out in front of audience…"
And is the music industry just as male dominated as it was back then?
"I’m afraid so," says Ms. Gore "Some things haven’t changed. I’ve been reading lately that there’s so many great women who seem to be beginning to take over film companies, and we have virtually at this point two or three women in the record business."
Ms. Gore became more publicly out when she hosted a few editions of the gay and lesbian public news series In the Life in 2004. A song from Ever Since, "Words We Don’t Say," appeared in the March season finale of Showtime’s hit lesbian drama The L Word.
Like the rest of the weekend’s events, proceeds from New Hope Celebrates’ Saturday Night Showcase will benefit the Human Rights Campaign, Fighting AIDS Continuously Together (FACT: Bucks County), the New Hope-Lambertville Flood Relief Program and the Rainbow Room, a youth center of Planned Parenthood Association of Bucks County. Ms. Gore will even be bringing an extra donation.
"I’ve got some fans that are unbelievable," she says. "There’s a guy from Illinois anybody else would call him a stalker, but he’s amazing. He’s at my Joe’s Pub shows in New York, then two weeks later I’ll be in Seattle or California and he’ll be there too. He sends me a note last week, and inside is a $1,000 check for the charity. That blew me away. He won’t even be at the (New Hope) show, and he sent $1,000. I’ve got some great fans. So, I come with money in hand."
Lesley Gore, Sam Harris and New Hope Idol finalists will perform at New Hope-Solebury High School, 180 W. Bridge St., New Hope, Pa., May 20, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $75. For information, visit www.newhopecelebrates.com. Lesley Gore on the Web: www.lesleygore.com