Erika Jo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erika Jo Heriges (born November 2, 1986 in Angleton, Texas), known on stage simply as Erika Jo, is an American country music recording artist who rose to stardom after winning the 2005 season of the Nashville Star television program at the age of eighteen. She is the youngest person to win the competition, as well as the first female winner.
Erika Jo is the daughter of Bo and Paige Heriges, and is the elder of two children (sister Shelby Lynne is three years younger). The family makes its home in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, 15 miles east of Nashville. Erika Jo is a 2005 graduate of Wilson Central High School in Gladeville, Tennessee.
Erika Jo was also a national finalist in the 1999 True Value Country Showdown (now called the Colgate Country Showdown [1]), a talent competition consisting of regional winners from across the United States. She also holds the distinction of being the youngest person ever to perform the National Anthem at University of Kentucky's famed Rupp Arena.
Her first single, "I Break Things", was released immediately upon her Nashville Star victory. The music video received heavy rotation on CMT and GAC, but the song was virtually ignored by radio, spending a solitary week on Billboard's country singles chart at #53. One subsequent single ("I'm Not Lisa") was released, though it made little impact as well. Her first album, Erika Jo, was released by Universal South Records on June 14, 2005 and debuted at #5 on Billboard's country album chart, but the album, like its first single, enjoyed very limited success after its initial launch, selling just 118,829 copies through its first 11 months in release [2].
By 2006, Erika Jo had become a regular guest performer on the Grand Ole Opry.
In Summer 2006, Heriges again made headlines after being cited for underage alcohol consumption in her hometown of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. She was ordered to serve 25 hours of community service and participate in a victim impact workshop put on by Mothers Against Drunk Driving[3].
