Emery's parents were musicians. His father Alva played trumpet, and his mother Rosemary played piano. Emery started playing organ when he was six. A few years later, he began taking
classical guitar lessons.[1]
During his senior year in high school he taught guitar at a music store run by guitarist
Bill DeArango, and during their free time Emery and DeArango played together.[1][2] At the end of the 1960s, he studied composition and
music theory at
Cleveland State University. In 1973 Emery moved to New York City.
^
abcdefKennedy, Gary (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries. p. 710.
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^
abcYanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 65.
ISBN978-1-61713-023-6.
^Wynn, Ron.
"James Emery". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
^"All Fellows". John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
^
abMorton, Brian (1992). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (5th ed.). London, England: Penguin Group. p. 473.
ISBN0-14-051452-X.
^Morton, Brian (2010). The Penguin Jazz Guide (1st ed.). London, England: Penguin Group. p. 670.
ISBN978-0-141-04831-4.
^Emery (1995). Lock, Graham (ed.). Mixtery (1st ed.). Stride Publications. pp. 172–174.
ISBN1 873012 97 7.
^Baugher, Carl E. (2000). Turning Corners. Redwood, New York: Cadence Jazz Books. pp. 72, 82, 105, 107–109, 128, 130, 137.
ISBN1-881993-37-X.