Colors

An acoustic pop trio known as Colors traces its beginnings to a 1994 high-school assembly at Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah, where Russ Dixon, Ryan Merrill, and Brian Tibbets first performed their song “Rain.” The three singers have remained a unit ever since, interrupted only by a two-year hiatus during which each served as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their creative drive stems from a shared affection for the music itself; as Dixon puts it, “We are making music because it’s what we are passionate about.” Although their material spans slow ballads and vigorous reggae rhythms, the resulting sound remains unmistakably their own—wholesome yet never merely “bubblegum.” Tibbets explains the tone plainly: “I just write about life. I guess because there isn’t anything unwholesome about my life it reflects through the music.”

After that debut, the group cautiously pressed just five hundred copies of their first album, No Time in Particular, to satisfy requests from friends and family; both the initial run and a second pressing sold out almost immediately. What began as performances at Utah and Idaho colleges and high schools soon expanded to venues in Norfolk, Virginia, and even Thailand. The members seek crowds that are energetic, enthusiastic, and receptive to their message, striving to build genuine rapport with listeners. Merrill emphasizes the personal connection: “We view everyone who listens to our music as friends and we would love to get to know them more. We are concerned about them, as any real friend would be.” Observers frequently note the band’s grounded demeanor; success has not altered their priorities, and they continue to place relationships above status or spectacle. Dixon credits the longevity of their partnership: “Our friendship is probably the best thing that we have developed over these past seven years of performing together. We know each other like brothers.”

Outside of family time, music, and studies, the three pursue interests that include flight training, mountain biking, and construction projects. As Merrill observes, “as with anything in life, the duration of this ride is unknown…so for the moment just kickback and enjoy the ride.”