Meet DEVv. (Devron) Ard of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to DEVv. (Devron) Ard.

Hi DEVv. (Devron), can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story really starts with my father, Ervin Ard. I’m one of ten siblings, and when I was eight years old, my dad decided he was tired of trying to find musicians. So he invested in his sons and built his own band. He called us Ardistry. My brother Jaquierii played electric guitar, and my dad put a bass in my hands.

Pops was a musician himself, playing in church and professionally, and Ardistry became his band. Church services, weddings, venues, you name it, we were there. We went everywhere with our father.

What makes it interesting is that my dad didn’t actually play bass. He used his skills as a music educator to give me the tools to understand music, but eventually I had to figure the instrument out for myself. Around nine or ten years old, I remember sitting down with a beginner bass book and getting to the section on the 12 bar blues. I didn’t like being told to practice, but something was different that day. I got up and practiced because I wanted to. I taught myself how to play the blues, and that was when I fell in love with the bass.

More importantly, I fell in love with learning independently. I realized that if I could read, listen, practice, experiment, and stay with something long enough, I could figure it out. Not long after that, I earned my first $50 playing a church gig with my father. I was officially a working musician before I was even old enough to understand what being a working musician meant.

My musical world expanded when I attended Havenview Middle School. I started on trumpet in sixth grade, but because I progressed quickly, I was moved to French horn and mellophone. I’ll never forget hearing the band play a piece called “Flexible.” The sound was loud, strong, and powerful. I remember thinking, “How can I contribute to that sound?” So I practiced until I could.

That mentality followed me to Whitehaven High School, where I became section leader of the mellophone section, joined the orchestra on double bass, and performed with the school’s 4851 Jazz Band. I was also part of the marching band when we took first place at the National High Stepping Marching Band Competition.

Church remained one of my deepest musical foundations. Gospel hymns, quartet music, playing by ear, learning how to follow people, and most importantly, learning how to play with feeling all shaped the musician I am today.

I was also fortunate to have incredible band directors along the way. Mr. Hood, Mr. Warren, Mr. Newsom, Mr. Jefferson, and Mr. Wright gave me more than music lessons. Those gentlemen gave me keys to life. They helped shape my understanding of what music could mean and how I could use it to make an impact if I treated the gift with respect.

When it came time for college, I chose Alabama A&M University partly because I wanted to get out of Memphis. I created a piece of advice for myself that I still carry with me: “Go somewhere where they don’t know you, so they’ll start paying attention to you if you feel like you’ve got something to say.”

At Alabama A&M, I became part of the Marching Maroon and White while pursuing my music degree. My journey took me from the field to the recital hall as I declared a concentration in performance with a focus on double bass. College challenged me to become a more complete musician and showed me just how many directions this gift could take me.

After graduating, I auditioned to become a Disney Collegiate All Star, performing at Disneyland in California. Musicians came from all over the country, and the competition was tough. I made it all the way to the finals. There was only one thing left, the final callback.

Then COVID 19 happened.

Nobody got the call.

Suddenly, the industry I had spent my life preparing for was shut down. I was newly married, needed to provide for my family, and had to figure out what came next. During that time, my former middle school band director reached out and asked if I had ever considered teaching.

I told him NO.

I had never wanted to be a teacher. But when the world is shut down, the music industry you know is at a standstill, and people are depending on you, life has a way of challenging what you think you know about yourself.

I eventually put my pride aside and told myself something that changed the direction of my life:

“Stop telling yourself what you’d never do and start asking yourself, ‘Why not me?'”

In August 2020, I stepped into my first classroom.

And I loved it.

Teaching became another extension of the same thing my father and my band directors had done for me. They gave young people tools and then showed them that they were capable of more than they realized. I’ve had the privilege of doing the same by shaping the next generation of musicians while continuing to grow as a professional musician myself.

As the world opened back up, so did my professional career. Auditions and gigs taught me that talent is only part of being a professional. I watched incredibly talented musicians lose opportunities because they didn’t know the material, showed up late, or brought the wrong attitude into the room. I learned that professionalism is consistency. It means being prepared, dependable, easy to work with, and able to deliver every time.

Living by those principles has allowed me to perform, tour, record, produce, and arrange alongside some incredible artists and musicians. Every opportunity has raised the bar for what I believe I’m capable of.

Eventually, I realized I didn’t only want to stand behind other artists. I had something of my own to say.

That’s where DEVv. comes in.

Almost everyone who gets comfortable with me eventually shortens Devron to “Dev.” I grew to love that because, to me, it represents familiarity. If someone meets me, I want them to feel as comfortable around me as I want them to feel listening to my music.

When I decided to step into the spotlight as an artist, I knew I needed my own live band. I prayed about the name because I wanted something fly, cool, meaningful, and with a little swag to it.

What came to me was DEVv. & the RejuvenatiON.

Somehow, without initially planning it, the capital letters spell my first name.

DEVv. & the RejuvenatiON.

DEVRON.

The RejuvenatiON represents exactly what I want people to experience when they hear us. I want you to walk away feeling renewed, recharged, and inspired. I want it to feel like great live music just put something back into you.

It’s funny when I think about it now. My father couldn’t find the musicians he needed, so he built Ardistry and raised his sons inside of a band.

Years later, his son built one of his own.

I’ve always dreamed about the big stage. Bassists and frontmen like Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, and Thundercat showed me that the bass doesn’t have to live in the background. I believe I can stand among those names and ultimately build something that is uniquely mine.

If everything I’m working toward happens, ten years from now I want DEVv. to be a household name, not only because of the music, but because of how I loved people, served my community, poured into the next generation, and gave the world another reason to fall in love with great music.

I’m still becoming that artist.

But when I look back, I realize I’ve been preparing for it since I was eight years old, standing beside my father with a bass in my hands.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I’ve experienced challenges professionally, but some of the hardest obstacles have been personal.

Losing my only brother, Jaquierii, crushed me. We started this musical journey together as kids in my father’s band, Ardistry. He was on guitar and I was on bass, and we experienced so much of our early musical lives side by side. Having to continue without him still hurts deeply, but I made a promise that I would make it for both of us. Every stage I step on carries a piece of him with me.

I’ve also experienced heartbreak in other forms, including believing I was becoming a father and later discovering through a paternity test that the child wasn’t mine. That experience taught me that sometimes you have to grieve not only people, but also the future you thought you were going to have.

Professionally, I’ve dealt with rejection, missed opportunities, career changes, and having COVID 19 shut down the music industry just as I was stepping into my professional career. I’ve had to pivot, rebuild, and learn that talent alone isn’t enough. Preparation, consistency, character, faith, and how you treat people matter just as much.

Through everything, I’ve learned that I can’t control what life takes away or how quickly plans can change. I can control how I respond. I’ve had to grieve, rebuild, and start over more than once, but I keep going.

A big part of that is the promise I made to my brother. I’m not just chasing this dream for myself anymore. I’m carrying it for both of us.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At the core of everything I do, I’m a bass player, but my work has grown far beyond just playing the instrument. I’m a touring and session musician, artist, producer, arranger, musical director, and educator. Whether I’m on stage, in the studio, or working with other musicians, my specialty is understanding what the music needs and finding a way to serve it.

Professionally, I’ve had the opportunity to tour and perform with artists such as Lloyd, Jagged Edge, and Chandra Currelley, serve as Music Director for Quantaphonics, and perform at events including the ForbesBLK Summit. My work also extends into recording and production. I’m featured on “Display” with Wade Brown, and I helped produce “Ghost” by TheArti$t, which was featured on the television series “The Chi.”

As DEVv., I’m now taking everything I’ve learned supporting other artists and building something of my own. I released my first single, “Speakeasy,” on all streaming platforms and launched my official website as another step toward creating a world around my artistry. DEVv. & the RejuvenatiON. is my live band and creative vision. The goal is right there in the name. I want people to leave a DEVv. experience feeling rejuvenated, connected, and reminded of how powerful great live music can be.

What sets me apart is versatility. My foundation includes gospel, quartet, jazz, classical music, marching band, R&B, funk, and soul. I can read the music, play by ear, sit in the pocket, arrange it, produce it, teach it, or lead the band. I don’t believe musicianship is about showing people everything you can do. It’s about knowing what the moment needs and having the ability to deliver it.

What I’m most proud of is that my career allows me to pour into people on both sides of the stage. I can perform in front of thousands of people and still walk into a classroom and help a young musician discover their own gift. For me, those aren’t two separate careers. They’re both part of the same purpose.

I want my work to make people feel something, whether that’s through a bass line, a live show, a record I’ve helped create, or something I’ve taught them. That’s what I want DEVv. to be known for.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way to work with me is through my website, thisisdevv.com. You can book me for touring, live performances, studio sessions, bass recording, production, arranging, musical direction, clinics, workshops, or bring DEVv. & the RejuvenatiON. to your next event.

You can also support what I’m building by streaming my single “Speakeasy,” following me on social media, sharing my music, coming to a live show, and spreading the word about DEVv.

I’m always open to connecting with artists, musicians, brands, educators, and creatives who want to build something meaningful. For bookings, collaborations, music, media, and everything DEVv., visit thisisdevv.com and follow me on social media to stay connected.

Let’s create something worth remembering.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thisisdevv.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bassed_off_love/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devv-the-artist-62747a35a/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DEVvBass