Gail Ann Dorsey



Gail Ann Dorsey (born November 20, 1962) is an American musician. With a distinguished career as a session musician, she is perhaps best known for her long time in David Bowie's band, from 1995 to the present day. Aside from playing bass, she occasionally has sung lead vocals according to Bowie's introduction on A Reality Tour, on "Under Pressure", and duetted with him on others, including "The London Boys", "I Dig Everything", accompanying Bowie on clarinet, and a cover of Laurie Anderson's "O Superman".

From 1993 to 1996, Dorsey also recorded and toured extensively with Tears for Fears, and collaborated on songwriting within the band. She appeared in several of the band's promo videos throughout this period. Her diverse range of work includes performances and/or recordings with, among others, David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Ferry, Boy George, the Indigo Girls, Khaled,Jane Siberry, The The, Skin, Gwen Stefani, Charlie Watts, Seal, Gang of Four, Susan Werner, ani difranco and Dar Williams.

In addition, Dorsey has released three solo albums: The Corporate World (1988), Rude Blue (1992), and I Used To Be... (2003), and, according to her website, another album is currently in the works. ==Biography[ edit] ==

 Gail Ann Dorsey began her musical journey growing up in the ‘70's in West Philadelphia. She played guitar from the age of nine and cites Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad, the late Terry Kath of Chicago, Jimi Hendrix, and Nancy Wilson of Heart as early influences. She acquired a bass shortly after her 14th birthday but didn't consider herself a bass player until she was 20. Being a zealous creative writer and filmbuff, Gail also wrote feature-length screenplays to accompany some of her musical compositions.

Dorsey attended the California Institute of the Arts in the School of Film & VideoSchool/Live Action. She received a full scholarship with her screenplays and short Super 8mm films. At the time, Dorsey was not merely the only female in her freshman class, but also the youngest female to ever be admitted to the Live Action department. After completing three semesters she felt unsuited for the film industry and once again turned to a career in music.

At age 21, Gail Ann Dorsey moved to London to pursue her musical career. She established herself through collaborations with other up-coming artists of the day such as Boy George, Ann Pigalle, and Donny Osmond. [3] Dorsey's first high profile job was as a guest vocalist in the original line up of The Charlie Watts Big Band(drummer for The Rolling Stones) and its 1985 premiere at London's famous West End jazz club, Ronnie Scott's. A crucial point for Dorsey’s aspired solo career was her appearance on "The Tube", a hit British music television weekly hosted by Jools Holland and the late Paula Yates.

In December 1987, Gail signed with Warner Music Group in London, and in 1988 released her first solo album, The Corporate World. The album was produced by bassist Nathan East of the jazz quartet Fourplay and included appearances by artists such as Eric Clapton. Her debut album received a 5-Star review and was voted one of the Top 50 Albums of the Year by London's Q Magazine. Gail Ann moved to Island Records in 1991, signed by former Island Records founder, Chris Blackwell. In 1992, she released her second solo album entitled Rude Blue, which featured trumpeter Mark Pender and trombonist Richie "La Bamba" (Conan O'Brien Band), Carla Azar on drums (Wendy & Lisa), Carol Steele on percussion (Bette Midler), and the infamous James Brown horn section of Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, and Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. After almost 12 years spent in England, Gail relocated to the well-known artist community of Woodstock in Upstate New York in 1994.

When her relationship with Island began to become strained, Dorsey removed herself from the spotlight to concentrate onsession work and in 1995 was recruited for David Bowie´s Outside Tour. Throughout the remainder of the 1990's and into the 21st Century she performed and recorded with artists such as The Gang Of Four, Louise Goffin, world music stars Rachid Taha, Faudel, and Khaled ("1, 2, 3 Soleils"), Sophie B. Hawkins, Tears For Fears, The The, The Indigo Girls, Canadian artist Jane Siberry, Jeffrey Gaines, Italian blues man Zucchero, Dar Williams, Catie Curtis, Toshi Reagon, vocal diva Joan Osborne, The B-52s, and the late Michael Hutchence of INXS.

Gail Ann Dorsey is best known for her contribution to the David Bowie band. In 1995 she was recruited by Bowie himself for the Outside Tour. Dorsey also provided vocals and bass for the 1997 Earthling, the 2002 Heathen, and Bowie's most recent release, Reality. She recorded "Planet of Dreams", a duet with Bowie on the 1997 EMI UK benefit CD release, Long Live Tibet, as well as several other live recordings and videos. She has been on board for the last six tours. Gail performed with David Bowie at "The Concert For New York" at Madison Square Garden. After about a decade since Rude Blue, Gail Ann Dorsey released her third solo album in 2003. The album entitled I Used To Be is a collection of previously unreleased material spanning the past 18 years of Dorsey's songwriting archives. She writes all songs with the exception of a few collaborators, namely Roland Orzabal and singer-songwriter Kristen Hall. I Used To Be was produced by Dorsey and engineer/producer Brandon Mason (Joan Baez, Heather Nova), with long-time friend and fellow bassist, Sara Lee as executive producer. ==Style and influences[ edit| edit source<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;-webkit-transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;margin-right:-0.25em;margin-left:0.25em;color:rgb(204,204,204);visibility:visible;">] ==

<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dorsey´s musical style spans broadly and includes rock, funk, country, and pop influences. She describes her current sound as a present day version of the AM/FM radio tunes that left a mark on her music such as The Fifth Dimension, Olivia Newton-John, Bread and the Wilson sisters, and Heart. When asked to describe her sound in one word she says "Black-arach...but that's maybe how I feel most days. Sometimes you can never tell what vehicle is required to deliver the message until it tells you. I don't want to limit myself to anything. I just want to maintain honesty and substance in thework. That is my responsibility to the music and the audience." ==Discography<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;-webkit-transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;-webkit-transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;visibility:visible;">] == ===Solo albums<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;-webkit-transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;-webkit-transition:color100msease-out,margin100msease-out;visibility:visible;">] ===


 * The Corporate World (1988) (Sire Records)
 * Rude Blue (1992) (Island Records)
 * I Used To Be... (2003) (Sad Bunny) (2004) (UFO Music)