Steve Azar
| Steve Azar | |
|---|---|
Steve Azar (right) with Sid Rosenberg, March 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stephen Thomas Azar |
| Born |
April 11, 1964 Greenville, Mississippi, United States |
| Genres | Country, blues and rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, recording artist, producer, philanthropist, Music and Culture Ambassador of Mississippi |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitars |
| Years active | 1996, 2001–2004, 2005-present |
| Website | http://www.steveazar.com |
Stephen Thomas "Steve" Azar (born April 11, 1964, Greenville, Mississippi, United States) is an American country music artist. Azar is a modern-day Renaissance man, hit songwriter, recording artist, music producer, golfer and philanthropist. He likes to call his own breed of music “Delta Soul,” a mixture of country, rock and blues.
Azar's hit single “I Don’t Have To Be Me, Til Monday” received three Million-Air awards from BMI and is one of the top five most played songs of the past decade on country radio.
Azar has been honored with “Steve Azar day” in the states of Mississippi (on March 13th) and South Dakota (on August 10th ). He is the co-founder of Ride Records and co-founder of the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival, dubbed "A Southern Gem" by the American Blues Scene magazine and included in Acoustic Guitar magazine’s 2014 Roadside Americana: 50 States 50 Must-Attend Events. The Mighty Mississippi Music Festival has also been featured in the third edition of 1,000 Places in the United States and Canada to See Before You Die.
Azar has also been recognized by the Mississippi Senate, and on Jan. 25, 2017, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Azar as the Music and Culture Ambassador of Mississippi. Bryant is celebrating Mississippi as the birthplace of American Music in 2017, and he was inspired by Azar’s latest album, Down at the Liquor Store, which was recorded with The Kings Men, musicians who played with B.B. King, as well as by the financial impact Azar has made on the State through various events.
“I am delighted my longtime friend Steve Azar has agreed to serve as Music and Culture Ambassador for his home state of Mississippi,” Bryant said. “Steve has spent his entire career promoting Mississippi, and I know he’ll continue that good work in his new role.” Azar will be working closely with the State of Mississippi in his official role, and he is writing a song for the state’s bicentennial, which is being celebrated in 2017.
Azar was born and grew up in Greenville, Mississippi. He began writing songs at 10 years old, which led him to develop as a guitarist. Azar had his first Nashville recording session when he was 14. After high school, Azar attended Delta State University where he played show after show, including the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans. Mississippi native Faith Hill remembers being at his shows as a fan in the front row. Graduating with a degree in business-management, Azar moved to Nashville in 1993, and in two days, he was offered three song-publishing contracts.
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