  emily saliers (born july 22, 1963) 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. ==background== saliers was born in new haven, connecticut 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 â 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. ==indigo girls== saliers first met her future indigo girls counterpart amy ray 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 saliersâthe elder of the duoâleft 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". ==solo performances== in 2004, saliers composed her first film score for the independent short film, one weekend a month.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gey197cz11i 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 atlanta, georgia.{{cite web|url= http://online.wsj.com/article/sb10001424052748704111704575355030890940938.html|title= emily saliers's southern hospitality|work=the wall street journal|accessdate= july 12, 2010|
1963_births American_banjoists American_female_guitarists American_female_singers American_folk_singers American_mandolinists American_multi-instrumentalists American_pianists American_spiritual_writers American_ukulele_players Bouzouki_players Emory_University_alumni Female_rock_singers Feminist_musicians Indigo_Girls_members LGBT_Christians LGBT_musicians_from_the_United_States Lesbian_musicians Living_people Musicians_from_New_Haven,_Connecticut Songwriters_from_Connecticut