Biography
An American saxophonist who also fronts her own group, sings lead, and pens books, Mindi Abair commands a gritty, emotive, and dynamic tone. Alongside her role at the helm of Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers, she remains a sought-after session player whose contributions appear on releases by Keb' Mo', Mocean Worker, and Michael Feinstein. She joined the GRP roster for the 2003 album It Just Happens That Way. Life Less Ordinary, issued in 2006, reached the top of the chart and spawned two hit singles. Beginning in 2007, she hosted the Sirius XM program Chill Out with Mindi Abair for the next eight years. Stars, released in 2008, entered the Top Ten on a pair of jazz charts. Alongside Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, and Richard Elliot, she earned a Grammy nomination for the project Summer Horns. Wild Heart, her chart-topping 2014 release, showcased appearances by Gregg Allman, Joe Perry, and Trombone Shorty. Later that year she partnered with Randy Jacobs to establish Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers, which issued Live in Seattle in 2015. EastWest Sessions arrived in 2017 and featured guest turns from Joe Bonamassa and Fantastic Negrito. All I Got for Christmas Is the Blues debuted at number seven on the blues chart in 2018. In June 2019 the group followed with the Top Five entry No Good Deed. She returned to solo work in 2022 with the all-original album Forever.
Born while her family traveled on the road, Mindi Abair grew up immersed in music and began playing piano at age five. Three years later she picked up the saxophone and started writing songs. At the Berklee College of Music she performed across jazz, rock, and R&B. After relocating to Los Angeles she assembled her own band and took on session dates with the Gap Band, Adam Sandler, Mandy Moore, John Tesh, Teena Marie, and the Backstreet Boys, whose 1999 tour she joined. The connection with the Backstreet Boys led her to build a website and release her self-titled debut album the same year.
Always and Never the Same followed in 2000. Its critical success secured a contract with Verve/GRP, and she delivered It Just Happens That Way as her label debut in 2003. “Lucy’s,” “Save the Last Dance,” and the title track each reached the jazz-radio Top Ten, while the album climbed to number seven on the contemporary jazz album chart. Come as You Are appeared a year later, again co-produced with writing partner and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Hager. Life Less Ordinary, released in 2006, included guest vocals from Lalah Hathaway and Keb' Mo', topped the Contemporary Jazz Chart, yielded the hit singles “True Blue” and “Bloom,” and remained in the Top 20 for 45 weeks.
In 2007 she contributed to guitarist Peter White’s self-titled Christmas album and issued her own Stars, an eleven-song collection that highlighted her singing and piano work in addition to saxophone. The album reached number four on the contemporary jazz chart and number seven on the jazz albums chart. In Hi-Fi Stereo, released in 2010, blended jazz instrumentals with several vocal tracks in a tribute to soul-jazz.
She published the book How to Play Madison Square Garden: A How-To Guide to Stage Performance in 2011 and performed as an instrumentalist behind American Idol contestants Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart that season, returning the following year to support Phillip Phillips. Impressed, judge Steven Tyler invited her to join Aerosmith’s 2012 summer world tour on saxophone and backing vocals—the first time the band had used a solo saxophonist since 1973.
Wild Heart arrived in 2014 with guest spots from Keb' Mo', Booker T. Jones, Trombone Shorty, Gregg Allman, and Joe Perry. It debuted at number one on the jazz albums chart and received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. After touring with guitarist Randy Jacobs and the Boneshakers, the musicians formed a permanent group that also included vocalist Sweet Pea Atkinson, keyboardist Rodney Lee, bassist/vocalist Derek Frank, and drummer Third Richardson. They released Live in Seattle through a Pledge Music campaign and HeadsUp.
In summer 2017 the ensemble recorded for five days at EastWest Studios with producer Kevin Shirley. The resulting The EastWest Sessions appeared on Abair’s Pretty Good for a Girl label via Concord and debuted at number three on the blues albums chart. Its single “Pretty Good for a Girl” featured a guest vocal from Joe Bonamassa. The album earned eight Independent Blues Awards, including Artist of the Year, Best Contemporary Blues Band, and Best Female Artist.
Abair also founded a web platform under the same name to celebrate and empower women. That year she played on Sweet Pea Atkinson’s Get What You Deserve and Miranda Lee Richardson’s Existential Beast. In October 2018 she and the Boneshakers issued their first holiday collection, All I Got for Christmas Is the Blues, mixing originals and standards. The following year they released the gritty No Good Deed, which reached number three on the blues album charts. While touring with the band, Abair composed a set of more intimate songs for a future solo project. Two years later The Best of Mindi Abair appeared on Pretty Good for a Girl. In July she joined Duran Duran bassist John Taylor on “Dead Days and Gatorade” by International House of Prayer CCM artist Merchant Band.
Later that year Abair and her husband, former wine executive Eric Guerra, launched Wine + Music Adventures, combining travel, music, and fine wine. She also issued the single “Forever,” her first solo track since 2014, as the lead to an album of the same name. The full-length arrived in March 2022, comprising ten original love songs on which Abair sang lead and played saxophone, with appearances by the Mavericks’ Raul Malo and blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Born while her family traveled on the road, Mindi Abair grew up immersed in music and began playing piano at age five. Three years later she picked up the saxophone and started writing songs. At the Berklee College of Music she performed across jazz, rock, and R&B. After relocating to Los Angeles she assembled her own band and took on session dates with the Gap Band, Adam Sandler, Mandy Moore, John Tesh, Teena Marie, and the Backstreet Boys, whose 1999 tour she joined. The connection with the Backstreet Boys led her to build a website and release her self-titled debut album the same year.
Always and Never the Same followed in 2000. Its critical success secured a contract with Verve/GRP, and she delivered It Just Happens That Way as her label debut in 2003. “Lucy’s,” “Save the Last Dance,” and the title track each reached the jazz-radio Top Ten, while the album climbed to number seven on the contemporary jazz album chart. Come as You Are appeared a year later, again co-produced with writing partner and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Hager. Life Less Ordinary, released in 2006, included guest vocals from Lalah Hathaway and Keb' Mo', topped the Contemporary Jazz Chart, yielded the hit singles “True Blue” and “Bloom,” and remained in the Top 20 for 45 weeks.
In 2007 she contributed to guitarist Peter White’s self-titled Christmas album and issued her own Stars, an eleven-song collection that highlighted her singing and piano work in addition to saxophone. The album reached number four on the contemporary jazz chart and number seven on the jazz albums chart. In Hi-Fi Stereo, released in 2010, blended jazz instrumentals with several vocal tracks in a tribute to soul-jazz.
She published the book How to Play Madison Square Garden: A How-To Guide to Stage Performance in 2011 and performed as an instrumentalist behind American Idol contestants Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart that season, returning the following year to support Phillip Phillips. Impressed, judge Steven Tyler invited her to join Aerosmith’s 2012 summer world tour on saxophone and backing vocals—the first time the band had used a solo saxophonist since 1973.
Wild Heart arrived in 2014 with guest spots from Keb' Mo', Booker T. Jones, Trombone Shorty, Gregg Allman, and Joe Perry. It debuted at number one on the jazz albums chart and received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. After touring with guitarist Randy Jacobs and the Boneshakers, the musicians formed a permanent group that also included vocalist Sweet Pea Atkinson, keyboardist Rodney Lee, bassist/vocalist Derek Frank, and drummer Third Richardson. They released Live in Seattle through a Pledge Music campaign and HeadsUp.
In summer 2017 the ensemble recorded for five days at EastWest Studios with producer Kevin Shirley. The resulting The EastWest Sessions appeared on Abair’s Pretty Good for a Girl label via Concord and debuted at number three on the blues albums chart. Its single “Pretty Good for a Girl” featured a guest vocal from Joe Bonamassa. The album earned eight Independent Blues Awards, including Artist of the Year, Best Contemporary Blues Band, and Best Female Artist.
Abair also founded a web platform under the same name to celebrate and empower women. That year she played on Sweet Pea Atkinson’s Get What You Deserve and Miranda Lee Richardson’s Existential Beast. In October 2018 she and the Boneshakers issued their first holiday collection, All I Got for Christmas Is the Blues, mixing originals and standards. The following year they released the gritty No Good Deed, which reached number three on the blues album charts. While touring with the band, Abair composed a set of more intimate songs for a future solo project. Two years later The Best of Mindi Abair appeared on Pretty Good for a Girl. In July she joined Duran Duran bassist John Taylor on “Dead Days and Gatorade” by International House of Prayer CCM artist Merchant Band.
Later that year Abair and her husband, former wine executive Eric Guerra, launched Wine + Music Adventures, combining travel, music, and fine wine. She also issued the single “Forever,” her first solo track since 2014, as the lead to an album of the same name. The full-length arrived in March 2022, comprising ten original love songs on which Abair sang lead and played saxophone, with appearances by the Mavericks’ Raul Malo and blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Albums
Based On A True Story
2025
I Can't Wait For Christmas
2024
Forever
2022
The Best Of Mindi Abair
2021
Wild Heart
2014
In Hi-Fi Stereo
2010
Stars
2008
Life Less Ordinary
2006
Come As You Are
2004
It Just Happens That Way
2003
Singles
