Receiving the Entertainment Director baton with passion and humbled pride, Ericka Davis is a homegrown Woodland artist and community activist who has been accentuating the entertainment scene for the last 20+ years. To date, Ericka is the manager of the band ‘Kiss ‘N Tell’ and the creative original musical children’s show called 'Chicken Lips,' and brings with her over 14+ years of experience as the Talent Director of the Yolo County Fair’s Vocal Showcase (formerly known as the Yolo Idol) alongside former Entertainment Director Marty DeAnda. Now bridging this as the Director herself, Ericka is excited about blending her extensive history as an artist and band manager to inspire the young local singers and musicians, deliver local artists the recognition they deserve, and ultimately carry out the inherent Fair Entertainment and Vocal Showcase mission to continuously propel the Yolo County community forward.
Born and raised in Woodland, Ericka discovered early on her passion for music and performed in church throughout her childhood. With this as her base, it became the catalyst for Ericka to begin capitalizing on her dexterous skills as an aspiring singer upon graduating as President of the Woodland High School Choir. Since then, Ericka’s appreciation for performing inevitably led Ericka to step into the arena professionally – not to just join it but advance it. Quickly becoming recognized for her classic rock performances in a local cover band, Ericka began accelerating in the entertainment community known for her powerhouse voice, small-town love, and pristine leadership adeptness that ensures every project she takes on is executed with a solidified vision, confidence, and creative freedom.
Measurably, Ericka’s 20+ year career consists of various scaling opportunities, including opening for Eric Burden and the Animals at the Dixon May Fair in 2007, performing on Broadway in San Francisco, recording/releasing original music, and accompanying renowned artists amid recording sessions. In addition, Ericka created a reputation for lending her voice to sing the National Anthem for several causes, with notable ones being the Armed Forces, Wounded Warriors, the National Cemetery in Dixon, and other community events throughout the state. This, in conjunction with her leadership in her musical projects she is proud to support other community efforts like being an esteemed Almond Queen Pageant judge, Ericka's devotions have certainly not gone unnoticed.
Throughout her tenure, Ericka won "Hottest Musician of Northern California" by Fringe Music Magazine in 2008. Moreover, as a seasoned Vocal Showcase contestant since its inception in 2003, Ericka has been heavily recognized community-wide for her original and cover music features and ongoing commitment to lifting local musicians and keeping live music alive as the fair's Talent Director beginning in 2009. Part of this effort stems from her rich background as a vocalist, band manager, and event manager that sharpened her perspective on the fair's operational needs and part from her firm belief that the best outcomes come from the formation of shared-value teams. Collectively, Ericka’s fair loyalty to this point has resulted in year after year improvements spanning from operational better flow, the streamlining of contestants, enhanced award shows with local celebrities as the judges, the creation of the “Hometown Heroes” contest featuring local original bands, and strong team unification that led to Vocal Showcase 2022 attaining the best turnout the show has ever seen.
As a passionate artist shaking up entertainment standards for the last two decades, nothing makes Ericka happier than using their intrinsic approaches to deliver powerful, statement-making music that inevitably provoke emotional influences and invested attraction. In addition, doing so while empowering the next-gen wave of talented artists on leaving their own marks in this space and in the community, makes it quite exciting to see how she will bring that full circle to this year’s celebration as the new Entertainment Director.