East St. Louis native, Erika Johnson, is an innovator in the entertainment industry today. ..Her style of music is refreshing and original and her singing is as infectious and engaging as her stage presence,.. states Kevin Johnson of the Post Dispatch. ..Erika..s motivation to succeed, coupled with her talent, intelligence and personality, makes her the show that you ..need to see... Best known for her imaginative scatting and song styling, Erika prides herself on being different. Others are quickly getting hip to the difference, such as Sony recording artist James Carter, Detroit organ sensation Gerard Gibbs, pianist Robert Glasper and trombone legend Fred Wesley.
Erika was invited in December of 2003 to join James Carter and his organ trio to share the bill on a four-night engagement at the Blue Note in Milan, Italy. Reminiscent of a love story, this story began like any other love story, except love of music was the prominent element where she has met many players who share the same love of music as she. Hers is a story of dignity and determination.
Beginning at the early age of 15, Erika opened for acts such as Dakota Staton, Kim Waters, Bobbie Humphrey, Morris Day and the Time, Betty Wright and Clark Terry. Ms. Johnson attended a high school where excellence in jazz was a standard. East St. Louis Lincoln Senior High School..s Jazz Band was led to worldwide recognition under the direction of national top jazz educator, Ron Carter. With this jazz band, Erika roused the crowd to their feet with her scatting abilities at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1991 at the age of 16. Erika..s smoldering passion and style earned her the first outstanding award given to a jazz vocalist at the University of Illinois All State Jazz Competition. She continued her education at Jackson State University, where she sang with the Big Band and played with fellow East St. Louisians who attended the school, just so they could continue to develop musically together. Those players included jazz trumpeter Russell Gunn, Count Basie Orchestra pianist Tony Suggs, and saxophonist and creative influence, Andre Roberson. Afterwards, she continued her education in the school of ..Hard Knocks.. for four years with Willie Akins at Spruill..s, a jazz institution in the St. Louis area, where she began her fan base. Being pushed out of the nest because it was time, she went on to perform and to ..wow.. the crowds at the Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, MO during the summer months.
There was a buzz growing in the city of St. Louis about a young lady who was unique and special. That young lady was Erika Johnson who soon released her CD Erika Revealed for all to hear and see what the raucous was all about. Her CD led to a sellout engagement at Jazz at the Bistro in St. Louis, 2001. Since then, every event she has headlined in this venue has been a two-night sellout engagement, including her October 2003 show, a Michelob sponsored event, where she invited Fred Wesley, Gerard Gibbs and Joe Lewis to share her bill. Erika, who continues to ..wow.. audiences with her sultry style wherever she performs, was met with the kind of appreciation every artist dreams of when she was invited to sing with the Robert Glasper Trio at the Up and Over Jazz Café in Brooklyn, NY.
During 2003, James Carter came to St. Louis with his jazz organ trio and gave Erika another opportunity to be heard. This led to a jazz ..scholarship.. and some serious riff trading with James at the legendary Baker..s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, MI on a few occasions. Gutsy and never afraid of a challenge, Erika was then invited by Gerard Gibbs to join him for a couple of songs at the Ford Detroit Jazz Festival. This led to a standing ovation and a doorway of opportunity, hence the Blue Note performance with J. Carter. This young lady was also the featured jazz stage headliner for the 2002 St. Louis Art Fair, as well as featured in two separate ads in Ebony Magazine promoting tourism for the state of Missouri. Locally, she can be seen at Sqwire's or the Danielle Hotel in St. Louis, MO.
An artist of multiple talents, Erika is proficient with multimedia technology and lyric writing and is armed with a commitment to artistic growth and development. Instilled with a ..can..t quit, won..t quit.. attitude, she aspires to leave a lasting impression on the music industry. Like the greatest jazz vocalists of our time who approached jazz as serious business and worked for their own sound, so does Erika. Being bred from the old school, Erika gets down to business every time. She is a stand out in the new reformation of vocal jazz and her bebop swing and soulful style have been winning converts, making her a necessity among all segments of the listening public. As an artist, she is the perfect illustration of what can happen when there are no limits put on possibilities.
