At first Devon Brown doesn’t attract much attention, standing in a dark corner of the Exedus II reggae club softly talking to musicians, a red cap pulled over his boyish face. But as he steps into the light, you notice his diamond earrings and chunky gold bracelet with letters spelling “Devon.” Then he jumps onstage, dreadlocks flying, legs swinging, and voice soaring.
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What Brown calls “natural” is a dizzying stage performance that often includes acrobatic dancing and reggae ballads, dancehall tunes, and pop hits. His stage show has earned him the nickname “Fire Dread.”
But Brown says his shyness used to hold him back. “I couldn’t wait to get offstage because it was so scary for me.”
He’s started to tour with other acts and has won a lot of fans in Colorado, where Johnson moved recently. Locally, Brown plays at least once a week, backed by the band Indika. Though he’s often considered a dancehall singer, he objects to being labeled. “I don’t call myself a dancehall singer,” he says. “I’m too versatile. I do house, R & B, jazz, blues. The sky’s the limit for me.”
