Collin Raye Brings Country Heart and Soul to the Ohio Star Theater

By Dave Parsons

It was a picture-perfect early Spring Saturday evening on March 22, 2025.  As the sun started to set behind the Ohio Star Theater in Sugarcreek, Ohio, a sell-out crowd of folks filed into the theater to welcome one of country music’s favorite sons, the legendary Collin Raye. Known for his usual upbeat and rowdy stage shows, the simple stage setup of 3 mic stands created a buzz of questions throughout the audience.

The Ohio Star Theater in Dutch Valley, right in the heart of Ohio’s Amish Country, hosts all kinds of live musicals, concerts, comedy acts, and special events throughout the year. Known for it’s intimate ambiance and exceptional acoustics, the stage was literally set for a different side of Collin Raye. One that would prove to be the ideal setting for his soulful melodies and heartfelt lyrics.​

Floyd Elliot Wray was born in 1960 and formed the Wray Brothers Band with his brother Scotty in the 1980s.  By 1991, he adopted the stage name Collin Raye and released his debut album, “All I Can Be.”  It was somewhere shortly thereafter that I found myself seated on a couch with him in Wheeling, West Virginia, leading only the second interview in his young career.  He told me about the next single that was going out to radio in a few weeks.  It doesn’t seem possible that 34 years, 16 No. 1 hits, and 24 top ten singles, this audience and I were seated here waiting to hear them all again. 

A lot of the crowd filing in appeared to go back several years in Raye’s career as well.  Some were wearing merch from tours long forgotten or carrying homemade signs with song requests on them that they may have taken to a show long ago.  The lights dimmed right at 7 PM and Collin Raye took the stage, flanked by a keyboard and fiddle player.  They launched into On The Verge, one of those 24 Top Ten Songs I mentioned.  The upbeat song, played with a stripped-down acoustic arrangement, allowed the sincerity of the lyrics to shine.  It set the tone for an intimate and engaging show.​

Raye delivered a mix of those classic hits and some surprises in the 90 minutes that flew by. In This Life  had the audience singing along, and shifting into Little Rock, One Boy One Girl and I Think About You, showcased the depth of his catalog.  Effortlessly transitioning between the songs, already anchored to the audience that gave him a three-decade career, you could tell he was having fun.​

That was until he explained why he would be sitting for a portion of the show.  It seems an overzealous workout on some stairs at a show last fall caused a torn meniscus in a knee and a noticeable hobble in his gait. You could tell it was bothering him more and more as the show went on.  Most notably, on That’s My Story, a song that he sang and stomped his way through over the years, he was anchored to the stool, putting extra effort into the uplifting beat of the song.

Throughout the show, Raye took time to share personal stories, reflecting on his journey in country music and the experiences that shaped the songs. His fiddle player, Shaunna Larkin, and his keyboard player, Klinton O’Donnell, have been with him for much of his career, so the music and background vocals are flawless.

He borrowed from some later releases for songs that meant a great deal to him, such as the title track from his CD Scars.  The crowd at the Ohio Star Theater went along for the journey as he paid homage to two of his influences, Elton John and Billy Joel, by covering Your Song and Vienna.

As the evening was winding down, Raye saved his second hit, and first #1 song for the end.  Love, Me, with the lyrics …between now and then, until I see you again, I’ll be loving you…Love, Me…. is the perfect closing song.  Besides members of the audience taking the personal memories tied to folks who have passed on, it’s a chance for him to tell the audience again what they have meant to his career.  Raye managed to make his way to each side of the stage during the song, making eye contact with folks in the seats and delivering the song with heart.

As the song ended, and a standing ovation was instant, he joked he wasn’t walking off and back out for an encore.  He would stay and do one more, and the audience roared its approval.  Reaching back for one of his hits in performing Love Remains, for the encore, it was a fitting end to what was most definitely an evening of music, memories, and love between Collin Raye and a fanbase that has been there for him for nearly 35 years.