Raised in a small town in the west midlands of England, bassist
Sara Lee got her big break when she was working as a secretary at Polydor Records. She got a chance to play for legendary musician
Robert Fripp, which led to jobs with
Robyn Hitchcock and
Gang of Four.
After she moved to the U.S., more studio and touring jobs came her way, including work with
Ani DiFranco, the B-52's,
the Indigo Girls, Joan Osbourne,
Fiona Apple, and others. It was her association with
DiFranco, however, that would prove the most lucrative when in autumn 2000
DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe Records, issued
Lee's debut solo album,
Make It Beautiful. Driven by the funky bass lines that she worked out over nearly 20 years of playing her instrument, the album features lyrics from a number of famous songwriters, including
DiFranco,
Emily Saliers of
the Indigo Girls,
Kristen Hall, and
Pal Shazar. ~ Stacia Proefrock