Best known as a member of David Bowie's band, which she joined for the Outside tour with Nine lnch Nails back in 1995, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey has carved a niche for herself by always serving the music with which she's involved.“Being a good bass player is like being a good lover,” she told Bass Player back in 2014. “You have to be as in tune with the music as you would be with your partner. You have to know exactly when to lead and when to support.”Born in West Philadelphia, Dorsey started on guitar at age nine – inspired by Grand Funk Railroad's Mark Farner and Chicago's Terry Kath – and took up clarinet in school. By age 14, having played guitar in a neighborhood group with friends, she was determined to get in a working band for the summer. “I headed to the local record store and I found a bulletin board full of bands looking for bassists. So I got an Epiphone bass, taught myself by playing along with the radio, and got a gig in a cover band. What I didn’t know at time was that I was learning from folks like James Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, and my all-time favorite, Joe Osborn.”By the early ‘90s Dorsey had completed her first two solo albums and toured with Tears For Fears, when a production deal brought her to England in time for a phone call from David Bowie.“I was writing with Roland Orzabel at his home studio in Bath, England, and David called me there. I thought it was someone joking around. He was doing a six-week tour opposite Nine Inch Nails, and he asked me to play bass.
