Emily Saliers
Encyclopedia
Emily Saliers is an American
singer-songwriter
and member of the Indigo Girls
. Saliers plays lead guitar
as well as banjo
, piano
, mandolin
, ukulele
, bouzouki
and many other instruments.
to Don
and Jane Saliers and grew up in Decatur, Georgia
(in metro Atlanta
), where her father was a professor at the Candler School of Theology
at Emory University
. Saliers is the second eldest of four children — all girls. She attended Shamrock High School, and began her college education at Tulane University
but transferred to Emory University, graduating in 1985 with a bachelor's degree
in English
.
when they were students at Laurel Ridge Elementary School
in Decatur, Georgia. As students at Shamrock High School
, they started performing music together at talent shows and local venues under the band names of "Saliers & Ray" and the "B-Band". When Saliers - the elder of the duo - left Georgia to attend Tulane University, Ray frequently visited her and they would play together for tips in New Orleans' famed French Quarter
. Saliers and Ray eventually reunited when they transferred from their respective colleges to Emory University. It was at Emory that they settled upon the band name of "Indigo Girls," when Ray came across the word "indigo" in the dictionary and "thought it sounded cool".
for the independent short film, One Weekend a Month. Although she has not released a solo album, she regularly does solo appearances at benefit shows or as a guest with friends' bands.
.
Saliers has co-written a book with her father, Don Saliers
, a retired theology
professor at Candler School of Theology
at Emory University, called A Song to Sing, a Life to Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice. Emily and her father often conduct book signings and church appearances around the country in support of the book, including the National Cathedral
in Washington, DC in May 2005 and October 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and member of the Indigo Girls
Indigo Girls
The Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
. Saliers plays lead guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
as well as banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
, bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
and many other instruments.
Background
Saliers was born in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
to Don
Don Saliers
The Rev. Dr. Don E. Saliers was the William R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia until his retirement in 2007. Professor Saliers received his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University, and both his B.D. and his Ph.D...
and Jane Saliers and grew up in Decatur, Georgia
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
(in metro Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
), where her father was a professor at the Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1914, the school was named after Warren Akin Candler, a former President and Chancellor of Emory University and a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South...
at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
. Saliers is the second eldest of four children — all girls. She attended Shamrock High School, and began her college education at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
but transferred to Emory University, graduating in 1985 with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
.
Indigo Girls
Saliers first met her future Indigo Girls counterpart Amy RayAmy Ray
Amy Elizabeth Ray is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls. She also pursues a solo career and has released four albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daemon Records....
when they were students at Laurel Ridge Elementary School
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
in Decatur, Georgia. As students at Shamrock High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, they started performing music together at talent shows and local venues under the band names of "Saliers & Ray" and the "B-Band". When Saliers - the elder of the duo - left Georgia to attend Tulane University, Ray frequently visited her and they would play together for tips in New Orleans' famed French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
. Saliers and Ray eventually reunited when they transferred from their respective colleges to Emory University. It was at Emory that they settled upon the band name of "Indigo Girls," when Ray came across the word "indigo" in the dictionary and "thought it sounded cool".
Solo performances
In 2004, Saliers composed her first film scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
for the independent short film, One Weekend a Month. Although she has not released a solo album, she regularly does solo appearances at benefit shows or as a guest with friends' bands.
Non-performance career
Saliers has a passion for wine collecting (with a wine cellar that was reported to be at 2000 bottles), and is the co-owner of Watershed restaurant in Decatur, Georgia. Emily was one of the initial investors in the Flying Biscuit Cafe, and was a co-founder of the now-defunct Common Pond environmental gift shop in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Saliers has co-written a book with her father, Don Saliers
Don Saliers
The Rev. Dr. Don E. Saliers was the William R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia until his retirement in 2007. Professor Saliers received his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University, and both his B.D. and his Ph.D...
, a retired theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
professor at Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1914, the school was named after Warren Akin Candler, a former President and Chancellor of Emory University and a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South...
at Emory University, called A Song to Sing, a Life to Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice. Emily and her father often conduct book signings and church appearances around the country in support of the book, including the National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
in Washington, DC in May 2005 and October 2007.