O, say, she can sing: Elgin woman will perform national anthem at Sears Centre

Gloria McCarthy has the kind of throaty, exuberant laugh that instantly makes you like her.

The Elgin woman gets especially animated, and a touch emotional, when she starts talking about getting the chance to finally achieve her longtime dream: performing the national anthem at a public venue.

McCarthy, whose stage name is Gina East, has been rehearsing assiduously for her upcoming performance Saturday evening before the Windy City Bulls game at Sears Centre Arena. Taking the floor at an 11,000-seat venue is beyond what she ever imagined, she said.

"I am grasping everything right now and trying to put it all together, that it's happening," she said. "It's been a dream, basically, but I never knew it was going to go to that type of multitude."

The moment will be incredibly special for McCarthy and her family as she continues to recover from the devastating loss of her husband of 47 years, Nathaniel Tomlin, in August.

"When I first got word I was performing, I told him about it. He was excited for me," she said. "It's sad because he's always been there through everything else. ... But I know his spirit is there, and he's watching."

Her two children, six grandchildren and great-grandchild plan to attend the performance along with other relatives and friends.

"I'm so excited," said her daughter, Tynesha Tomlin, of Elgin. "It's her longtime dream. I'm so proud of her. All her life, she's been wanting to sing and do something big. When this opportunity came, it was like, 'Oh my God, mom - you finally made it.'"

McCarthy's son Tyrrell Tomlin, also of Elgin, said his mother has always been a positive person. "I never heard her say anything negative, ever. After years of taking care of people, it's finally good she gets to do something on her own."

McCarthy and her husband met at Elgin High School and raised three children. The oldest, Terron "Bollie" Tomlin, died of congestive heart failure in 2010.

McCarthy said she's loved music since she was a little girl.

She started performing at church and in school choirs, and in her 20s began to win employee talent shows at Motorola in Schaumburg, she said. Eventually, she started writing music and performing at weddings, talent shows and local events. Once, in the 1980s or 1990s, she passed up a chance to perform in Chicago with the rapper Common to sing at a Juneteenth festival in Elgin, she said.

"I didn't really know him and I was so excited to perform in my hometown," she said.

"Yeah, I regret it," she added with a laugh.

In the last few years, McCarthy said, she put performing aside to focus on taking care of her husband, who had several strokes and eventually entered a rehabilitation facility in Riverwoods. "Even when he was in the nursing home, I was there every day," she said.

But she never stopped writing songs and most recently shot a music video in 2018 in Elgin, including at Walton Island and downtown's Fountain Square.

Saturday's performance was sparked by a chance encounter with someone who connected her with someone else who suggested she perform at a Windy City Bulls game, she said.

Mallory Eichhorn, group ticket sales manager for the Windy City Bulls, said she got an email this summer from McCarthy saying she'd always dreamed of singing the national anthem. There is no formal audition process, but McCarthy included her YouTube links.

"I recommended one of the bigger dates, because it's more exciting and there are more fans," Eichhorn said. "She chose the Dec. 14 date, and the rest is history."

The special holiday game will feature the Swingin' Seniors; an "ugly pom hat" giveaway; haircuts from Great Clips with proceeds going to Ronald McDonald House Charities; a coat and blanket drive for WINGS Program Inc; a meet-and-greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus; and "Star Wars" characters.

McCarthy's mother, who will be 90 in February, won't be able to attend because she can't walk and lives in a nursing facility in Aurora. But her mother still can sing, and the two of them sing "Walk with Me, Lord" when they visit. "That's my backbone right there," McCarthy said of her mother. "That's where I got everything from."

McCarthy said she wants to continue developing her recording career and work on a new music video. But for now, she's focused on Saturday's performance, during which, to calm her anxiety, she plans to focus on her daughter, Tynesha, as she always does.

"I'm just letting God do his thing," McCarthy said. "I'll let him take over and use me as his instrument."