Sixteen-year-old Jackie Pober Citrin from Daphne made her singing/songwriting debut at The Wharf on Sunday, rendering her own “Crazy” and “So We Lie.”

Her inspiration and tutor has been Andy Kropf, who is one of the founders of Ocean Street, performing for the first time at The Wharf. 

“Helping the kids is what this group is all about,” said Alan Terry, formerly of East Cobb County, Ga. Terry and wife Brenda had just driven 700 miles from Miami to help boost the group which he had encouraged to play at The Wharf. They had been to Miami to watch their son Reid play college baseball. Reid is attending the University of Pennsylvania on a baseball scholarship. Former Detroit Tiger farm recruit Andy Kropf coached Reid on the diamonds in East Cobb County. 

Terry said that for several years the parents had offered to help the volunteer coaches in some manner, but their service was always gratis. These young men were not only coaching, but back at home they were playing musical instruments and singing.

“So we parents had the pleasure of ‘paying forward’ to help organize and publicize this great group,” Alan Terry said. When the Terrys moved to Elberta and discovered The Wharf Amphitheatre, they felt that Ocean Street must perform there. 

March has been “Madness” for music groups at The Wharf which Ocean Street followed. Popular Alan Jackson, Breaking Ben and Corey Smith were tough performances to follow, but Terry said that Ocean Street will be back now that the present had been a learning experience.

Some 1,500 pre-event tickets had been sold and there was a host of loyal, cheering fans past the closing time of 8 p.m. 

Meanwhile, Tinderbox Music, a promotion company based in Minnesota, has taken on the job of getting the group noticed and into the mainstream, which they say  “is becoming easier than expected in this cruel world of music.”

Anti-Music.com CD Review comments on Ocean Street’s 13-song album lists the group as gaining ground. J. Simpson in “Gigs At-A-Glance”  says that “The group’s members appear to have the recipe for quality songwriting mastered. The tracks on the album flow seamlessly with appealing melodies and tempos bringing the feel of a very accomplished band.” 

Ocean Street brought about a feeling of community by presenting old pros such as Sam Thacker who could strum and sing for an hour at a time with “Not gonna let ‘em catch me” and “I can’t wait for you anymore,” and giving sixteen-year old Jackie Citrin an experience of a lifetime to sing her own compositions. Ocean Street will be back.