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.

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

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.

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

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

Abair signed to Concord Records in 2007 and released her genre breaking Stars in 2008 which peaked at No.

[3] On May 27, 2014, Abair released[12] Wild Heart on Concord Records imprint, Heads Up International.

[13] 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.

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

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

The goal of the website is to celebrate exceptional women and turn "pretty good for a girl" into a phrase of empowerment.

In 2007, Abair took over the nationally syndicated radio program Chill with Chris Botti which he had hosted for two years.

[23] Abair featured on the 2011 American Idol season as a soloist with Paul McDonald and Casey Abrams and playing behind contestants Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart.

Tyler was so impressed with Abair that he invited her to join Aerosmith on the summer leg of their 2012 world tour playing sax and singing backing vocals.