Emerick played guitar from the age of six and before he reached his teens was working professionally as a performing artist. Raised in Vero Beach, Florida, after leaving school, he briefly trained as a fireman before deciding to move to Nashville, Tennessee, where he eventually was hired as a songwriter. With Bryan White he composed some songs that were taken up by Sawyer Brown, among them the mid-90s country hits ‘I Don’t Believe In Goodbye’, ‘Round Here’ and ‘She’s Gettin’ There’. Another songwriting partner has been Toby Keith, with whom Emerick has often toured. Several of the duo’s songs were recorded by Keith in the late 90s and early 00s, notably the chart-topping singles ‘I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight’, ‘Beer For My Horses’, ‘I Love This Bar’, ‘Whiskey Girl’, and ‘As Good As I Once Was’. Emerick played guitar and sang background vocals on a number of tracks. Other Emerick collaborative songs have been recorded by Ronnie Milsap and George Strait. In 2004, Emerick was named Songwriter Of The Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International. He released his debut album The Coast Is Clear in 2003. Two years later he signed a new recording contract with Keith’s Show Dog Records label.