The adage "Never judge a book by its cover" sums up Lamont Robinson nicely. To his customers at Miles Market, the Produce Manager is someone who, according to one, "doesn't say 'boo' to a goose'', but put him on stage and pow! The change is astonishing. Or is it? Because for as long as he can remember the young Bermudian has loved to entertain.

The story of his journey from his home to the stage begins in early childhood when he and his brother Nathan loved to perform for their mother. At around 11 or 12, Lamont decided he was going to entertain, and his first attempt was trying to make a karate "movie" with his neighbourhood buddies as its stars.

"We had a bunch of 'baddies' - Ninjas vs Samurai's and stuff. It was really silly," he remembers.

So he decided he would be a vocalist instead, the inspiration for which sprang from his earliest memory, at the age of four, of his mother singing her favourite hymn, 'Anybody Asks You', in a trio at West Pembroke Church. To the little boy, it was awe-inspiring.

And could she sing?

"I don't know, I was biased," he laughs.

Thus the shower became his auditorium.

"I always used to pretend I was a singer in there," he says.

At Elliott Primary School, where he hid his innate shyness behind a bold facade, he once landed the role of 'Mighty Wongaloo' in a school play, and sang a solo - another experience he remembers as "silly".

At Berkeley Institute he joined the speech and drama class, but assiduously avoided any opportunity to appear on stage, again pleading shyness.

Later on, at the MarketPlace, where he worked in the Produce section, Mr. Robinson did plenty of singing behind the scenes but, like comedian Rodney Dangerfield, got no respect.

"Everybody used to tell me to shut up and not give up my day job," he says. "One guy threw a dollar bill at me, and I said, 'Yes, well this is going to be the first of many', and I saved it."

Sure enough, the last laugh was Lamont's, for he not only won a teen talent contest, but also has landed a plum role in the newly-opened Bacardi Bermuda Calypso Island Review at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel, where he is being hailed as a wonderful new talent who is destined for great things.

Which brings us back to his modesty. He speaks quietly of his entertainment experiences, but this is what you learn.

In his teens, his close friend, Herbert Darren, with whom he sang informally, recognised his talent and thought he should be doing something about it. Lamont, however, was very modest, so he tricked him into turning up at Jonathon (JT) Talbot's recording studio.

"I thought I was just checking it out, and JT thought I was there to record, so when he tried to get me to sing I refused," he recalls.

In the end, they struck a deal. If Lamont and Darren auditioned for the talent competition at the Government's Teen Conference JT in turn would be their manager. They agreed, and he duly groomed them to compete.

The duo won handsomely, and their next stop was Black Entertainment Television's Teen Summit - a talent showcase for aspiring young artists which was attended by a lot of record company scouts.

As with his other childhood fantasies, Mr. Robinson looks back at the experience and laughs at the duo's naivete, for they were raw talents.

"If we knew how to sing properly we would probably have gotten a deal," he suggests. "It took us four to five weeks to master one song, that's how bad we were."

On their return home, the young men wisely took some vocal lessons, and then were on their way. They opened some shows for dancer-choreographer Suzette Harvey, and were featured in others.

Differences subsequently drove the singers and their manager apart for a while, but they have since regrouped under the name JaKoMa Entertainment to put on various shows, some of which are in aid of charity.

"We only use local people to put on local shows for residents and visitors alike to watch and say, 'Wow, Bermudians did that?' " Mr. Robinson says. "Even if the participants don't have the skills we help to steer them to the right people."

For the past three years JaKoMa has staged fashion shows to raise money for Lighthouse, a home for homeless people with HIV. Similarly, their J2K vocal talent competition raises money for the Brangman Home.

Like many Bermudians, Mr. Robinson is passionate about promoting local talent and doing what he can not only to promote it but also to help revive our once-thriving entertainment industry.

"This Island is infested with talent, and we can restore our entertainment industry if we all look at ourselves and say, 'Let's do it'," he says."I love Bermuda, and I hate it when they say there's nothing to do here. I think 'Come now'. I look at my generation coming up. They are talented, and I want to help provide opportunities for them to entertain. My true drive is bringing them to the forefront of entertainment, where people can say, 'Wow, I would like to send them away to do this or that, or use them in a show'."

Meanwhile, the tall, slim performer with the immaculate corn rows has put aside the shyness that kept him off the stage as a youngster. Today he loves to sing and dance, and he acts, models and teaches modelling techniques. He has been in several plays, and his favourite roles are those which are far removed from his own character.

Mr. Robinson's interest in modelling began when attended a fashion show and was invited by local designer Amir to participate. Thereafter, he picked up tips on the correct moves by watching people's feet - "The feet and waist are guidelines to learning how to do any kind of movement," he says - and he now models for Amethyst, another local designer.

A keen reggae and calypso fan, he says he was thrilled when he learned of the Bermuda Project's plan to revive a calypso island review, and even more delighted when lead singer Deletta Gillespie invited him to join the cast.

"When I first heard about the Bermuda Project I thought 'I am glad. Here is another group of people who see that something can be recreated'. Of the experience itself, it is invaluable for an entertainer, and I have learned so much," he says. "I really commend the girls and the band, who have helped the show to progress so quickly because they are so skilled. I think Bermudians can put on a show as good as any foreign act. It is just that we don't have the finance."