Free to be Sara Lee.

Acclaimed lesbian bassist Sara Lee talks about stepping to the front of the band with her own debut CD

Sidewomen of the world: Unite and take the mike! Earlier this year, bassist Josephine Wiggs of the Breeders and keyboardist Vivian Trimble of Luscious Jackson grabbed center stage as the cool duo Dusty Trails. Now, here comes Sara Lee--the British expat bass player for the B-52s, Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, and Joan Osborne--quietly demanding notice for her songs and her singing. On Make It Beautiful (Righteous Babe Records), the 40-something Lee, who lives near Woodstock, N.Y., shows a knack for catchy pop hooks and funky grooves--both propelled by her pleasant alto--while marrying her confident melodies to clever lyrics written by such friends as DiFranco, Indigo Girl Emily Saliers, and Pal Shazar.

"I've never felt good about my ability with words," says Lee in her lilting Hereford accent, "so I was thrilled when Emily and Ani said yes [to putting words to Lee's music]. I could never have written `like the sweet soft blushing musk of a sushi boat/just floating by' [from the CD's title song], but Ani can write that. And now I get to sing it!"

Lee grew up in a musical household--her parents were music teachers, her sister a cellist, and her brother a trombone player. Lee too went in early for the family obsession, taking up the timpani at age 10 and stand-up bass at 11. At 18, she left home to discover her own nonclassical path and began playing electric bass in various bands. While working as a secretary for Polydor Records, she invited a friend from the company to see her play, and he brought along progressive rock hero Robert Fripp. The next week Fripp called Lee and asked her to integrate, so to speak, his band the League of Gentlemen. From there she also laid down bass lines for Robyn Hitchcock, the Thompson Twins, and Ryuichi Sakamoto, gaining a reputation for a "good time, good grooves, staying in the pocket," Lee says.

She began her long collaboration with the Indigo Girls on their 1990 album Nomads, Indians, Saints and eventually became part of their touring ensemble. Along the musical way, she went from dating guys to dating girls. "I had a girlfriend in the early '80s who I was madly in love with, but she was very mean to me in the end, and it kind of crushed me," says Lee. "I thought, That's it--women are horrible! But then I had a relationship with someone who was great, and it changed my mind," she laughs. Currently single, Lee remains close friends with ex Gail Ann Dorsey, a fellow bass player who sings powerful harmonies on Lee's album.

Three years ago the road began to wear Lee out. "I was getting severely depressed," she says. But having heard herself sing at an Indigo Girls sound check, for the first time she thought, "Not bad!" and decided to take time off and make her own recording. Now, ready to rock again, she's just completing a tour of the northeast United States as Ani DiFranco's opening act.

"I'm having the best time of my life playing with my band and playing my own songs after 20 years," she crows. "It's going to be so much fun."

Find more on Sara Lee and Mountain Consolidated at www.advocate.com

Kort is writing a book on Laura Nyro for St. Martin's.