COSTA Rican dancehall promoter Fire Don is hoping that the two-year-old shutdown of reggae shows due to COVID-19 in that Central American country will soon end.
"Right now Costa Ricans are hungry for Jamaican music. They love reggae because this is the music their foreparents played when they came here as part of the railway workers in the latter part of 1880s. They never left, so we have some three generations of music lovers here in Costa Rica," said Fire Don, who has Jamaican parents.
"I can't wait to see the back of COVID-19 because this is how I have been making money by promoting shows which are mainly for the most part very successful," he continued.
According to the promoter, Jamaican acts Chuck Fenda, Anthony B, and Christopher Martin has graced his stage.
"These shows are usually well attended, attracting thousands of fans. The last show I had was December 2017," he said.
Costa Rica, which has a population of just over 5,000,000, has so far recorded close to 8,000 deaths from COVID-19.
Fire Don, given name Ricardo Waddell Lewis, was born in Puerto Limon in Puerto Rico to Jamaican parents Vincent Waddel and Claudia Lewis-Hylton. In 2007, he formed the harmony group Black Rose which comprised Tiny B, Daddy Tarzan and Little P. They enjoyed fair airplay with Poorness.
The group disbanned in 2012 but Fire Don continued as a solo artiste, with tracks appearing on several albums. These include Mr Fire Don (Radical 11), My Dear Friend (Total Beat), Big Fire Burn (Basic Element), and War (Natural Lyrics).
His acquisition of the Internet-based Voice Over Radio TV in 2015 is expected to give him a bigger platform as he works to expose new acts.
For the past 17 years, he has been promoter for the Puro Roots stage shows in Puerto Rico.
