“I sang along, and enjoyed all music then,” Ryan said. “My mom (Elaine) took me to the Second Time Around music store on Brown Street and I would go home with tons of records.”
When he was 9, Ryan entered a talent show and won first place.
“It gave me the bug to perform,” he said. “My grades were great, and in Beavercreek High School, I played on the football team, but I also landed the lead in the school musical. It was a blast.”
By the time he was 20, Ryan was singing part time at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky.
He began taking professional voice lessons and was coached in musical theater, and for a number of years studied with international opera star Kay Griffel. One year, he landed a lead role in the Dayton Opera production of “Romeo and Juliet.”
At age 26, Ryan was invited to perform on the national “Be a Star” talent show on The Nashville Network.
I first met Ryan about that time, and in 1993, I was hosting a daily radio show with a live studio audience at the downtown Arcade. Ryan became a regular guest on my program and subsequently a life-time friend.
Through the years, he has kept busy continuing to sing in the evenings and on weekends in venues around the Miami Valley.
Ryan has performed at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, a show tavern known as Snickers in New Lebanon, and more recently at the Grand Victoria and Belterra casinos in Indiana.
While performing at the casinos, Ryan appeared on the bill with legendary singers Brenda Lee and Lou Rawls.
Last year, Ryan entered some contests for Elvis impersonators. He was a finalist at an event in Frankfort, Ky., and won the Elvis competition at the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluff, Iowa.
In February of 2009, Ryan’s father, Terry Roth, lost a battle with lung cancer at age 65.
“My father was my hero,” he said. “He was always doing good things for others.”
Ryan now has decided to stage a fundraising concert, doing an all-Elvis tribute in his father’s memory.
Proceeds will be used to fight cancer through the Kettering Medical Center Foundation.
A performance group known as “The Change of Habit” will be travel to Dayton from Chicago to appear with Ryan at the concert. “It will be a comprehensive Elvis concert, with lots of production — all the way down to the scarves,” he said.
As a cancer survivor, and as Ryan’s friend, I have been invited to introduce him at the fundraiser.
Dale Huffman wants your suggestions and story ideas
. Send e-mail to dhuffman@DaytonDaily News.com or write to Dale at 1611 S. Main St. Dayton, OH 45409. Fax: (937) 225-2489. Phone: (937) 225-2272.
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