Raised in Texas on a musical diet of Antonio Carlos Jobim, James Taylor, and oldies radio, 20 year old Emily Elbert first picked up the guitar when she was 15. Her self-taught approach on the instrument grew to include singing and songwriting, and her passionate involvement in these three soon led to the creation of her debut CD of original material, Bright Side, in 2006.
Elbert was selected to perform as a vocalist in the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensemble in 2007. That same year, she won the Grand Prize in the 2007 Texas Music Project Texas 10 Under 20 contest. Elbert then moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music, but simultaneously continues to maintain a musical career - in 2008, she did weekend tours with G Love & Special Sauce and Kaki King, and was a featured performer at the North American Folk Music Alliance in Memphis, TN. Boston-based WUMB-FM radio named her the Best New Artist of 2008. She has played more than 200 gigs nationwide, from Los Angeles to New York City, Alaska to Texas. Emily is currently in the process of recording a follow-up EP to Bright Side, with an expected release in Fall 2009.
