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Today in Music History: Lesley Gore recorded "It's My Party"

March 30, 2018

In this Jan. 5, 1966, file photo, singer Lesley Gore rehearses at a piano, in New York. Singer-songwriter Gore, who topped the charts in 1963 with her epic song of teenage angst, "It's My Party," and followed it up with the hits "Judy's Turn to Cry," and "You Don't Own Me," died of cancer, Monday, Feb. 16, 2015. She was 68.Dan Grossi | AP file

History Highlight:

Today in 1963, sixteen-year-old Lesley Gore recorded her breakthrough hit, "It's My Party". Produced by Quincy Jones, the song went on to be a U.S. No.1 single. The night the song was recorded, Jones found out that Phil Spector had recorded the song with his group The Crystals, so Jones rush-released it to get Gore's version to radio stations first. (Bonus: Check out BØRNS' acoustic cover of this song from his in-studio session at The Current.)

Also, Today In:

1957 - Buddy Knox became the first artist in the rock 'n' roll era to write his own number-one hit when "Party Doll" topped the U.S. singles chart. Knox would go on to score four more Top 40 hits between 1957 and 1961.

1963 - The Chiffons started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "He's So Fine". In 1971, George Harrison was taken to court accused of copying the song on his 1970 "My Sweet Lord" and ordered to pay $587,000 to the writers.

1967 - The photo session for the album cover of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band took place at Chelsea Manor studios in London, with photographer Michael Cooper.

1974 - John Denver went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Sunshine On My Shoulders", the singer's first of four U.S. No. 1 hits.

1985 - Phil Collins started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "One More Night", his second U.S. No. 1.

1992 - R.E.M. started recording sessions for their Automatic For The People album at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, N.Y.

2013 - U.S. music producer and pioneer of digital recording, Phil Ramone, died at age 79. Ramone was regarded as one of the most successful producers in history, winning 14 Grammy awards and working with stars such as Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Elton John and Paul McCartney. He produced the first major commercial release on CD, Billy Joel's 1982 album 52nd Street.

Birthdays:

Eric Clapton is 73.

MC Hammer, born Stanley Kirk Burrell, is 56.

Tracy Chapman is 54.

Celine Dion is 50.

Norah Jones is 39.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.