| Featured Member of the Month |
| February 2010 |
| ~ Erica Robinson ~ |
| Erica Robinson dazzles the crowd with her music. She regularly performs on shows in Oklahoma City and in towns southwest of there. Being on stage and belting out country favorites are second nature to her. She's been doing this since the age of 7! Now at the age of 17, she seems more like a seasoned entertainer than a teenager. "I'm more at home on the stage than anywhere else." she noted recently. She admits, however, that she's painfully shy when not on stage. "I can't even ask a waiter for a refill!" she confided. Erica is a very complex young lady, who can be characterized as an overachiever. Her mastery of music on stage is paralleled only by her command of knowledge in the classroom. And her analytical mind allows her to assess situations carefully before acting on them. Erica offered further insight into her psyche... "I am very obsessive-compulsive and have to do many things a certain way, or I have to start over! Things have to be organized, or I get extremely stressed." To illustrate this aspect of her personality, she added, "I often count my steps as I'm walking." This high school junior was born on October 5, 1992 in Duncan, Oklahoma. She lives with her Mom and stepdad, Shawnda and Josh Seely, and younger siblings Caitlin and Mason. She is the granddaughter of Orvel and Judy Robinson and Roger Cummings, and the great-granddaughter of Joan McLaughlin. "PawPaw" Orvel has had a significant influence on Erica's musical career thus far, and has been one of her staunchest supporters. Erica has consistently maintained a GPA of 4.0 or above and was inducted into the National Honor Society as a sophomore. Not surprisingly, she is in her seventh consecutive year as a member of Marlow's academic teams. She is a writer and feature editor of the MHS ExPress and is active in the speech and drama department. She served as director of the department's recent production of "God's Favorite" and placed 3rd in standard oratory at the state competition last spring. Erica had already been quite the little showman for some time. Erica's first solo stage appearance was at The Greatest Show in the Southwest in 1999. Her first competition was the Showcase of Stars in 2001 in which she placed first in her division. She repeated this feat in 2004 and in 2008, while grabbing the second place prize in 2006. Except for a brief stint with a vocal coach to perfect her harmonizing skills, a lesson in yodeling supplied by Katrina Elam, and occasional coaching by other performers and music lovers, Erica is entirely self learned, in vocals and on the guitar. At the age of 8 she began appearing regularly at the Oklahoma Opry. At age 9, she appeared on "Nashville on Stage". The following year she joined the Country Music Association of Oklahoma and was named the year's top entertainer, Rising Star and Female Vocalist in the 10 and under division in 2002. Then, at age 11 she began performing and hosting the "Marlow Opry" and won Female Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year for 2003 in her division. She has been a member of the CMSA since she was 13. And I mighty add, a very active member at that! At this year's state competition we found Erica accepting awards for Female Vocalist of the Year in New Gospel, and in the Mixed Age Duo category with Cameron Newby. She also has produced a couple of CDs. Her first at the age of 9, called "Country Rain" and a second at age 15 called "Love Is". Erica is dead serious about her music business. She remarks, "It's hard work. It's an uphill climb. As a singer, youhave to keep your public appeal up". So, You can see why Erica is this month's Enertainer of the year! She's quite a girl, and worth watching for on the local shows... |
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