Mindi Abair

Mindi Abair (born May 23, 1969) is an American saxophonist, vocalist, author, and National Trustee for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that puts on the Grammy Awards show.

Her solo career has produced ten No. 1 radio singles, two No. 1 Billboard Jazz CDs, and four more solo CDs that have landed No. 5 and above on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts.

Abair graduated magna cum laude in 1991 with a degree in Woodwind Performance.

She formed her first band in college.

In 1991, after college, Abair moved to Los Angeles, California, where she began booking her band into clubs, coffee shops and hotels.

She played solo on the street at 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California and garnered the attention of jazz keyboardist Bobby Lyle, who hired her to record on his Power of Touch CD and tour with him.

Her touring opportunities expanded over the next decade, as she toured as a saxophonist/singer and keyboardist with Adam Sandler, John Tesh, Jonathan Butler, Teena Marie, Rick Braun as well.

Abair was featured on saxophone in the Go West video "Tell Me".

In 1996, she appeared on Adam Sandler's HBO Special and recorded on his platinum CD What's Your Name? playing the saxophone solo on "The Lonesome Kicker" and singing on various tracks.

In 1999, Abair joined the Backstreet Boys for their Millennium World Tour, and spent the next year and a half as their saxophonist, keyboardist and percussionist.

She assembled Mandy Moore's first band and acted as musical director, keyboardist, background singer and percussionist for many of Moore's first television appearances and shows.

When not touring, Abair released her first complete solo album, Always and Never the Same, an all-vocal pop record, independently.

Abair performed in local Los Angeles rock clubs to promote the record, in addition to her touring with the Backstreet Boys.

In 2003, Abair signed to Verve Records and released the album It Just Happens That Way, which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart.

2004's "I Can't Wait for Christmas," the title track to her Christmas album of the same name, became a regional hit, particularly in Buffalo, New York, where both incarnations of WTSS have included the record among their Christmas music playlists.

In 2004, Abair released Come As You Are, which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts.

She followed that with Life Less Ordinary in 2006, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and remained in the top 20 for 45 weeks.

Her songs "True Blue" and "Bloom" hit No. 1 on R&R.

Abair signed to Concord Records in 2007 and released her genre breaking Stars in 2008 which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart.

Her single "Stars" (co-written and produced by Matthew Hager) charted at No. 29 Adult Contemporary R&R simultaneously with her single "Smile" which reached No. 1 on the R&R jazz airplay charts.

She released "Hi-Fi Stereo" in 2010 which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.

The album spawned the No. 1 hit "Be Beautiful" written by David Ryan Harris.

She was the featured saxophonist for the 2011 and 2012 seasons of American Idol, and performed with the rock band Aerosmith.

Abair's recordings have twice been nominated for Grammy Awards.

She acted as drum major of her high school marching band in her junior and senior years at Northside Christian School in St. Petersburg.

As a senior in high school, she won the first chair alto saxophone for the Florida All-State Jazz Band.

Abair spent her first year of college on a full scholarship at the University of North Florida, a jazz program started by Rich Matteson.

She transferred to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, attending on a scholarship and studying saxophone with Joe Viola and George Garzone.

The album Summer Horns, a collaboration with Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, and Richard Elliot, was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.

On May 27, 2014, Abair released Wild Heart on Concord Records imprint, Heads Up International.

The record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and No. 152 on the Billboard Top 200.

The record, which included collaborations with the late Gregg Allman, Joe Perry and Trombone Shorty, was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in the 2015 Grammy Awards.

Abair received the Mad Skills Award at the third annual She Rocks at NAMM Show on January 24, 2015.

Held in Anaheim, California, the event was founded by the Women's International Music Network.

In 2015, after working with Randy Jacobs (founder of The Boneshakers) on the tour for Wild Heart, he and Abair decided to form Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers, which includes Mindi Abair (saxophone, vocals), Randy Jacobs (guitar, vocals), Sweet Pea Atkinson (vocals), Rodney Lee (keyboards), Derek Frank (bass, vocals), and Third Richardson (drums, vocals).

In late 2015, they released a live album Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers Live in Seattle via Pledge Music and HeadsUp, which featured a performance from Seattle's Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in February 2015.

In summer 2017, the group announced their first studio project via Randy Jacobs' website.

Recorded over five days at EastWest Studios with producer Kevin Shirley, The EastWest Sessions, included 11 blues and rock tracks, was released on September 15, 2017.

Joe Bonamassa and Fantastic Negrito were featured guests.

The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Blues Albums Chart on the week of October 7, 2017.