Emily Remler was born in New York City on September 18, 1957 and began playing folk guitar at the age of ten. After a brief interest in rock music, he became seriously interested in jazz. At sixteen, she encouraged her father and mother to let her go to the Berklee School of Music in Boston to study jazz guitar. It was there that she ended up being influenced by the jazz guitar styles of Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino. He graduated in 1975 with a diploma in jazz guitar music.

In 1976, Emily Remler moved to New Orleans and began her life as a career guitarist. At first he made a living teaching and playing in a rhythm and blues band called Little Queenie and The Percolators. He also played at times in a jazz group that included trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and singer Bobby McFerrin. The next two years saw Emily in the band’s rhythm section at The Fairmont Roosevelt Hotel directed by Dick Stabile. In this position, he had the opportunity to accompany many of the best vocalists, including Nancy Wilson and Rosemary Clooney.

Emily Remler’s first major break came through jazz guitar legend Herb Ellis, who heard her play in New Orleans in 1978. She arranged for her to appear with her quartet at the 1978 Concord Jazz Festival in California. In 1979, Emily moved to New York City, where she joined singer Astrud Gilberto’s support group. Success followed success and in 1980 Remler made his first recording as the leader of the Concord Record Label. He then appeared in some of the world’s major jazz celebrations, such as the Kool Festival in 1980 and the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1981.

Emily married jazz pianist Monty Alexander in 1981. Their marriage lasted about 3 years. After they broke up in 1984, she ended up romantically involved with jazz fusion guitarist Larry Coryell and later they recorded a duet album called “Together.” Her latest recording project, which was a partnership with David Benoit, found her playing pop jazz and sounding a bit more individualistic than her typical be bop sessions.

At this point in her life, Emily Remler returned to Los Angeles and worked for a time in a theater orchestra. She continued to make and record jazz club appearances gaining increasing worldwide recognition as one of the best young jazz guitarists of the day. While on a show tour of Australia in 1990, Emily, who had actually ended up addicted to heroin, tragically collapsed and died in her hotel room on May 4. He was only 32 years old.

During her short life, Emily Remler had ended up being an inspiration and a role model for younger musicians. Her early death has led her to be considered a legend, yet in reality, she was still searching for her own unique sound when she died. Unfortunately for the be bop jazz guitar community, its great potential was never realized.