Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:33 — 58.4MB)
Erica Melancon Fox, Executive Director of the Maison Freetown African American History Museum, joins us today to share her incredible journey. A musician, a historian, and a lover of a good story, Erica shares stories that are golden. Her parents always supported her journey in music, dance, and all things that allowed her to share her spirit. Our community is so much better off because of their investment in her talent!
Highly accomplished in the world of performing arts, Erica is a professional songwriter who has sung with Rice University’s Orchestra, served for eight weeks as lead actress and singer in “Ain’t Misbehavin” at the National World War 2 Museum, and toured with various national musical companies.
Erica Melancon moved to LA right after high school and attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, acquiring a record deal right off the bat. She had a college sponsorship, but no money to speak of but wanted to follow her dream of being a recording artist. She had no manager, and knew no one, but was guided by God to follow her calling. She learned very early on how to be a business person as she also learned what it was like to be ‘canned!’
She was discovered when she sang the National Anthem at the Staple Center in Los Angeles. Her journey led her to be a part of the Motown productions of the Funk Brothers, a talent trove that wrote all the classic songs we love.
Erica is classically trained but loves all types of music, including Country! Erica has opened for shows at Acadiana Center for the Arts and Festival International de Louisiane. She received a 2020 Grammy Consideration for Best R&B song: “I Still Love You” on her This is 2020 album.
“I feel like I’ve lived many lifetimes. My life is a song. That is the basis of everything I do. I have always loved sound and writing and literature since I was a four-year-old kid. I was always outside singing and didn’t realize I was writing songs when I was singing to the trees and the birds and making shows and performing with my imaginary friends. My love for literature for song came from my father who appreciated all types of music.
She had the opportunity to interview Calvin Moret, the last surviving Louisiana member of World War II’s famed Tuskegee Airmen, an accomplished soldier and woodworker who played down what his talents were. “It makes you wonder what are my talents…what more can I do?”
Erica learned that Lafayette still had a surviving member of the WWII Battalion, all-black Female soldier of the 6888th (SIX TRIPLE EIGHT) Central Postal Directory Battalion, Major Fannie Melancon, and pursued interviewing her to pursue the knowledge of people of that time period.
We ran into each other recently at a tribute of the WWII all-black Female soldiers of the 6888th (SIX TRIPLE EIGHT) Central Postal Directory Battalion at the Freetown Maison museum. Erica makes incredible contributions to our community each and every day and it is a pleasure to share her story!
