The Rader Family was a gospel-and-oldies band led by patriarch Wayne Rader (1936-2015) a Missouri native who once owned an appliance store in Wichita, Kansas, but found himself drawn to show business after managing a gospel quartet called the Riverside Boys, which featured his sons, Billy and Dennis. The Raders also recorded as an ensemble for a small gospel label in Cincinnati, and having dipped their toes in the entertainment world, they jumped into it whole hog in 1978 when they moved to Panama City, Florida and created their own, family-run country music venue. The first Ocean Opry show debuted in August, 1978, kicking off a multi-decade, multi-generational enterprise, with the venue finally closing in 2005 when Wayne Rader and his wife Patsy retired. Ocean Opry was mostly a family affair, though like many mom'n'pop mini-oprys they hired outside performers such as singer Ric Mason, who recorded an entire album while part of their 1982 season cast. Other featured performers included multi-instrumentalist Dennis Rader, who doubled as the troupe's cornpone comedian, Moonshine, doing parody songs, skits and recitations; he later became an ordained minister before moving to Nashville. His brother Billy sang and wrote original material, helping operate the Ocean Opry until it closed, and soon after went into local politics, although he continued to perform for local charities and community events. Here's a quick look at their music...
The Rader Family "Ocean Opry Panama City, Fla. Home Of The Worlds Most Beautiful Beaches" (Coleman Sound Studio, 1979-?) (LP)
The Rader Family/Various Artists "Ocean Opry Live On Stage, Panama City Beach, FL" (Ocean Opry Records, 1980-?) (LP)
This appears to have been their ssecond private-press souvenir albums, with a standard-issue mini-opry mix of country, bluegrass and gospel songs, including mainstream hits such as the George Jones single, "Something To Brag About," Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man," "Top Of The World," "You Can't Be a Beacon" and Ronnie Milsap's "Pure Love." There's also a moonshine/mountain dew medley that was presumably delivered by the Moonshine character, as well as 'grass standards such as "Dueling Banjos" and "Fox On the Run," to round things out. Moonshine also has a comedic number, "Artificial Recreation," which seems to be original to this album.
The Rader Family "Fresh Country" (Ocean Opry Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Rader)
This album is mostly cover songs -- oldies such "Pass Me By," "Silver Threads And Golden Needles," "Tennessee Waltz" and various novelty numbers, though an original penned by Billy Rader, "Don't Say Goodbye," kicks off the album. This is one of several Ocean Opry souvenir albums; numerous cassettes and CDs were also issued, many perhaps lost to the tides of time.
The Rader Family "Some Sweet Day" (Ocean Opry Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Rader & Dennis Rader)
An all-gospel album featuring the Rader brothers backed by Mark Dene on harmonica, Calvin Gann (piano), Charlie Gilley (steel guitar), and Mike Latourette on drums, with the brothers each playing multiple instruments. The repertoire is pretty standard fare, gospel classics such as "It Is No Secret," "Old Rugged Cross," "Precious Memories," and the like... One song, "Some Sweet Day," is credited to Billy Rader.
The Rader Family "Ocean Opry's Most Requested Show Songs" (Ocean Opry Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Rader & Dennis Rader)
More cover songs, mostly, in a variety of styles. Things kick off with Billy Rader doing a medley of country music impersonations; other highlights include a couple of original songs, "Sea-Going Cowboy" (co-written by Billy Rader and Mike LaTourette) and LaTourette's own "You've Got Me Worried."
The Rader Family "Food On The Table" (Ocean Opry Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Rader)
The Rader Family/Various Artists "Ocean Opry Live On Stage" (Ocean Opry Records, 19--?) (LP)
Ric Mason "Ric" (Ocean Opry Records, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Rader)
A featured performer at the Ocean Opry, singer Ric Mason seems to have tilted towards more pop-vocals oriented material, including chestnuts like "Baby Face," "Mack The Knife," "Summertime" and "Suwanne," as well as folk tunes like "John Henry" and even a bit of blues, as heard on his cover of Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man." Not as country-oriented as you might imagine, though producer Billy Rader -- who backs Mason on banjo, guitar and piano -- definitely had his own rural roots.
Moonshine "Live At The Ocean Opry" (Ocean Opry Records, 198-?) (LP)
"Moonshine" was the cornpone comedy persona of Dennis Rader, a key member of the Rader Family band, a pack of Missourians who headed south in the late 1970s and started their own mini-opry venue down in Panama City, Florida. He often appeared on their souvenir albums, though in this case they devoted a whole album to his Moonshine skits, which could be a real treat for fans of country comedy.... Personally, I find a little bit goes a long way.
