Lesley Gore in Brazil

No, Miss Gore has never been in Brazil personally. This article deals with her influence and presence through films & records in the South American giant. 

Lesley Gore was born Lesley Sue Goldstein in Brooklyn-NY on 2nd May 1946. She grew up in Tenafly, N.J., eager to become a singer. She had just turned 16, a junior in high school, when her vocal coach had her make some piano-and-voice recordings. Those demos, with a youthful brightness in her voice, reached producer Quincy Jones, who was then an A&R man at Mercury Records. He became her producer and mentor.

Lesley recorded 'It's my party' on 30 March 1963, and when Mr. Jones discovered that Phil Spector and the Crystals were also recording the song, he rush-released it within a week. It reached # 1 on 1st June 1963 and was followed onto the charts by 'Judy's turn to cry' reaching # 5 on 17 August 1963 - a sequel to 'It's my party' where she gets her boyfriend back from mean Judy. 

Lesley next reached #2 in 1st February 1964 with the ballad 'You don't own me' and was kept from getting to #1 by The Beatles's 'I want to hold your hand'. 

Yet at the peak of her pop career, Lesley Gore was in school full time, majoring in English and American literature at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. where she graduated in 1968. She played an occasional TV show, film appearance or concert on weekends or during vacations.

Lesley was featured - with James Brown, the Rolling Stones, the Supremes and Marvin Gaye - in the 1964 concerts at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium that were filmed as 'TAMI Show'. 

Lesley Gore died of lung cancer on 16 February 2015 at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. She was 68 years old and had been in a constant relationship with a woman called Lois Sasson for 33 years.

Lesley Gore sings 'Leave me alone' in Paramount's 'The girls on the beach' (1965).

'It's my party' producer Quincy Jones, Millie Small & Lesley Gore in 1964.

Lesley Gore sings at legendary film 'The TAMI Show' in 1964.

T.A.M.I. (Teen Age Music International) Show was a concert held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, on 28 & 29 October 1964. Free tickets were distributed to local high school students. 

The best footage from each of the 2 concerts was edited into a film, which was released on 29 December 1964 by American International Pictures. Jan & Dean emceed the event and performed its theme song.  

TAMI Show is particularly known for James Brown's performance, which features his legendary dance moves and explosive energy. In interviews, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones has claimed that choosing to follow Brown & the Famous Flames was the biggest mistake of their careers, because no matter how well they performed, they could not top him. 

Steve Binder, the director of the movie, says he persuaded the Stones to follow James Brown, and serve as the centerpiece for the grand finale where all the performers dance together onstage.

7 August 1966 - Steve Binder's 'The TAMI Show' was dubbed 'No reino do iê-iê-iê' in Brazil and   it was shown in Rio de Janeiro almost 2 years after it had been released in the USA.

8 January 1967 -  In Sao Paulo 'The TAMI Show' was released 5 months after Rio de Janeiro; more than 2 years after its premiere in the USA. Brazilian pop was going through a radical change since late 1965. Italian rock music had been on top of the charts for 2 years (1963-1964); then Brazilian rock aka Jovem Guarda took hold of the nation's teenagers and Anglo-American music was sort of hybernating.  

I was particularly impressed when I watched 'The TAMI Show' at Cine Maracha on Rua Augusta in January 1967. James Brown whom I had never heard about up to that point was the act that most impressed me. I was astounded by Brown's showmanship and his routine as the 'hardest working man in show business'. I didn't know that such a performance was possible... that it actually existed!

Most of the acts who performed in the movie did not have a hit record in Brazil, except The Rolling Stones who hit with 'Satisfaction' sometime in 1965. I had heard about The Supremes and was favourably impressed by their sleek routine. 

I considered myself a well informed youth when it came to international pop music but I had to admit I didn't know most of the acts in 'The TAMI Show'. I had heard Lesley Gore's 'It's my party' even though it had not been a hit in Brazil. French-Egyptian Richard Anthony had a mild hit singing a cover titled 'La mia festa'. 

French-Egyptian Richard Anthony hit with 'La mia festa', an Italian cover of 'It's my party'.