Was a rocker in leather, I gather (6)
I believe the answer is:
swayed
'was a rocker' is the definition.
(to sway can mean to rock)
'leather i gather' is the wordplay.
'leather' becomes 'suede' (suede is a kind of leather).
'i gather' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue ('gather' can mean hear).
'suede' is a homophone of 'SWAYED'.
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for swayed that I've seen before include "Oscillated - influenced" , "was unsteady on one's feet" , "Moved back and forth or sideways" , "Swung from side to side, influenced by" , "was unstable" .)