Stephen Thomas Azar (born April 11, 1964) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer, songwriter, guitarist, and philanthropist. Active since 1996, he has released a total of seven studio albums: one on the former

River North Records River North Records was a Chicago-based Sound recording and reproduction, record company. It was a subsidiary of Platinum Entertainment. History River North Records was created by Steve Devick in 1994. It was named and created after River North ...

, one on

Mercury Nashville Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. Some of the labels in this group include MCA Nashville Records, Mercury Nashville Records, Lost Highway Records, Capitol Records Nashville and EMI Records N ...

, and five independently. Azar has charted nine times on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

, most successfully with his late 2001-early 2002 hit "

I Don't Have to Be Me ('til Monday) "I Don't Have To Be Me ('til Monday)" is a song by American country music artist Steve Azar. It was released in October 2001 as the lead-off single from his album '' Waitin' on Joe''. The song peaked at number 2 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Count ...

", which reached the number two position there. After leaving Mercury in 2005, Azar began recording independently; ''

Slide On Over Here ''Slide On Over Here'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Steve Azar. It was released on August 4, 2009, via Ride Records. The album includes the singles "Moo La Moo", which charted in the Top 40 on the '' Billboard'' H ...

'', his second independently-released album, charted the top-40 country singles "Moo La Moo" and " Sunshine (Everybody Needs a Little)" in 2009. In addition to these albums, Azar released a number of standalone songs including a song to promote the

National FFA Organization National FFA Organization is an American 501(c)(3) youth organization, specifically a career and technical student organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agriculture, agricultural education. It was founded i ...

and a jingle for

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

restaurants. His 2017 album ''Down at the Liquor Store'' featured a number of guest musicians who had previously played for B. B. King and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, and was credited to Steve Azar and the King's Men. Azar has written most of his own songs, and his style draws from country, rock, and

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

, with his singing voice gaining frequent comparisons to

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

. In addition to his albums, Azar has also hosted a number of charities and music festivals. In 2017, he was named Music and Cultural Ambassador of Mississippi by that state's then-governor

Phil Bryant Dewey Phillip Bryant (born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 64th governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 31st lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2008 to 2012 and 4 ...

Biography

Stephen Thomas Azar was born April 11, 1964, as one of five children born to Lebanese couple Joe and Virgie Azar in

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 34,400 at the 2010 census. It is located in the area of historic cotton plantations and culture known as the Mississippi Delta. Hi ...

. He began writing songs as a child, primarily for use in

Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ ...

and other liturgies at his church. When Azar was 10 years old, he began receiving guitar lessons from

singer Sonny Boy Nelson. He was a regular customer at a liquor store that Azar's father owned. Azar had his first recording session in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, at age 15 when his father took him there to cut

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

s. After high school, Azar attended

Delta State University Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi Cleveland is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 11,199 as of the 2020 United States Census. Cleveland has a large commercia ...

, from which he graduated with a degree in business management. Azar began touring locally at various clubs around Mississippi with a band that included his brother, Joe Azar Jr. When one of his band members committed suicide and another was incarcerated for murder, he switched to performing as a solo act. In addition, he and Joe owed money towards equipment they had bought. After the payments had been completed, Azar and his wife moved to Nashville in 1993 so he could pursue a recording contract.

Music career

1993-2000: Early career

Songwriter

Roger Murrah Roger Alan Murrah (born November 20, 1946) is a songwriter and independent music publisher who has written hits for artists including Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, Al Jarreau, and Alabama. Dissatisfied with the fast pace of the contract and the inability to put "emotion" in his material, he ended his contract to sign with the independent

in 1996. That same year, he released his debut album '' Heartbreak Town''. The album's first two singles "Someday" and "I Never Stopped Loving You" both charted on the ''

in 1996. "Nights Like This" was also issued as a single, but it did not chart. "Someday" also received a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

which aired on the former TNN (

The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On September ...

). River North's founder, Joe Thomas, produced the album except for the final track, which Azar co-produced with songwriter A. J. Masters. These three (along with Murrah and

Bob Regan Robert Joseph Regan is a Grammy nominated American country music songwriter. His chart credits include "Til Love Comes Again" by Reba McEntire, "Busy Man" by Billy Ray Cyrus, "Your Everything" by Keith Urban, "Soon" by Tanya Tucker, "Thinkin' A ...

) were among the contributing musicians, and Azar co-wrote every track except for a cover of Paul Davis' " I Go Crazy". An un-credited review in ''Billboard'' was favorable toward the album, comparing Azar's voice to those of

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

and

. Reviewers also commended Azar's songwriting and musical image. A less positive review came from Larry Stephens of

Country Standard Time ''Country Standard Time'' is a website dedicated to country music and related genres including Americana, bluegrass and rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1993 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a p ...

, who also compared Azar to Mellencamp vocally but felt most of the songs sounded too similar to each other. Azar would later go on to deride ''Heartbreak Town'', stating in 2003 that the album "didn't even sound like im. His wife shared a similar opinion, and according to Azar, she cried after hearing the album because she felt that it did not represent him as an artist. After River North Records filed for bankruptcy and closed in 1997, Azar continued to tour the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

and write songs. Despite the label closing, Azar had to wait two years to buy out his contract for $15,000.

2001-05: Mercury Records

Former River North executive Michael Powers had begun working at

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

' Nashville division and recommended Azar to label executives. The company initially turned him down. However, a songwriting session with Rafe Van Hoy led to songs that both Azar and Mercury executives felt represented his artistic style, leading to his signing in 2001. His first Mercury single was "

", which peaked at number two on the Hot Country Songs chart. It also accounted for his only entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it peaked at number 35. The song was the lead single to Azar's 2002 album '' Waitin' on Joe''. Van Hoy produced the album, and Azar wrote or co-wrote every song. They, along with blues guitarist

Sonny Landreth Clide Vernon "Sonny" Landreth (born February 1, 1951) is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, and settled in Lafayette, Louisiana. He lives in Bre ...

, were also among the contributing musicians. " Waitin' on Joe" was the disc's second single and also charted on Hot Country Songs in 2002. Both songs were also made into music videos; the latter's was filmed in

Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19th century when he establishe ...

, and featured an appearance by

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

. Country Standard Time reviewer Jeffrey B. Remz called the album's production "a bit bright and polished", but praised Azar's songwriting and singing, particularly on the title track. Morgan Freeman Deauville 2018

Azar toured extensively throughout 2002 and 2003 to promote ''Waitin' on Joe'', averaging 250 shows per year. This extensive schedule led to him developing a

cyst A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and cell division, division compared with the nearby Biological tissue, tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of Cell (biology), cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which ...

on his vocal cords, which was surgically removed in 2004. Also that year, "I Don't Have to Be Me" received a Million-Air Award from

Broadcast Music Incorporated Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

(BMI) which commemorated the song for being played one million times on radio. Azar shared this award with the song's co-writers, Jason Young and R. C. Bannon. His final single for Mercury was "Doin' It Right", which was released in mid-2005 but fell short of top 40 on Hot Country Songs. Following this single's under-performance, Azar ended his contract with Mercury.

2006-08: Move to independent labels

In 2006, Azar founded his own label called Dang Records. His first release for the label was a Christmas song called "Catfish Christmas", which he and Van Hoy cowrote. Over the next two years he began working on his next studio album. For this project, he served as producer and

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

. He also was credited playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar,

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

, and

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

. In February 2006, Azar announced that Dang Records had partnered with

Midas Records Nashville Midas Records was an American independent record label specializing in country music and contemporary Christian music. It was founded in August 2005 by Ron Clapper, Keith Follesé and Brad Allen. The label partnered with New Revolution not long ...

for the distribution of the album. He charted the

Radney Foster Radney Muckleroy Foster (born July 20, 1959) is an American country music singer-songwriter, musician and music producer. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his recording debut as part of the Foster & Lloyd duo, recording ...

co-write "You Don't Know a Thing" while on Midas. The song also received a music video which featured an appearance by golfer John Daly. Between 2006 and 2007, Azar toured with

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...

. Azar experienced delays in releasing his material while on Midas, citing both creative differences and the label's inexperience. This led to him exiting Midas and co-founding a new label called Ride Records in April 2008. On Ride, he released '' Indianola'' that same year. While his first Ride single "I Won't Let You Lead Me Down" failed to chart, his next single "You're My Life" reached number 52 on Hot Country Songs in 2009. At the time of the album's release, Azar said that many of the songs from the project grew from songwriting sessions with Foster and James House, and that he wanted to form an independent label so that he could have control over aspects such as sales and promotion. He, House, and John Brannen promoted the album through performances at Nashville's

Bluebird Café The Bluebird Café is a 90-seat music club in Nashville, Tennessee that opened in 1982. The club features acoustic music performed by both established singer-songwriters, and cover artists. The Bluebird receives over 70,000 visitors annually. T ...

in late 2008. Ken Tucker of ''Billboard'' found influences of country, blues, and rock in the production and songwriting choices, variously comparing tracks to Seger,

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

, and the

Traveling Wilburys The Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Originating from an idea discussed by Harrison and Lynne during the sessions for Harrison's 1987 album ...

. Ben Scott of ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larges ...

'' called the album "a nice mix of bluesy, contemporary rock with country influences". Bob Seger 2013

2009-present: Further independent albums

One year later, Azar released another album on Ride Records entitled ''

''. Once again, Azar wrote or co-wrote every song. He told CMT that Seger was one of the primary influences in his songwriting: "he’s pretty much the entire gamut of emotions and I felt like I was leaving some of them in the drawer. So, I pulled them out for this record." Azar co-produced the album with Justin Niebank, while both House and

Josh Kelley Joshua Bishop Kelley Sr. (born January 30, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter. Kelley has recorded for Hollywood Records, Threshold Records and DNK Records as a pop rock artist. His songs "Amazing" and "Only You" reached the top ten on the ...

co-wrote songs and provided backing vocals. Two of the album's singles, "Moo La Moo" and " Sunshine (Everybody Needs a Little)", both made top 40 on Hot Country Songs. The third single, "Hard Road", did not chart. Giving the album four stars ''

Country Weekly ''Nash Country Weekly'' was an American lifestyle weekly magazine about country artists and their music. It was in circulation between April 1994 and May 2016. The publisher, Cumulus Media, now maintains the site ''Nash Country Daily''. Overvie ...

'' critic Chris Neal called it a "pitch-perfect progression" from ''Indianola''. Azar's next album was ''Delta Soul, Volume One'' in 2011. The album featured four original songs and five re-recordings of previously-released material. James House once again contributed backing vocals. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock reviewed the album favorably, commending Azar's vocal performance along with the inclusion of

and

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

in the production. The album's re-recording of "Doin' It Right" later appeared on the soundtrack of the 2012

Kevin James Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), better known by his stage name Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. In television, James played Doug Heffernan on ''The King of Queens'' from 1998 to 2007, and receieved a Primetime Emmy ...

film ''

Here Comes the Boom ''Here Comes the Boom'' is a 2012 American sports comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, co-written, produced by, and starring Kevin James as a biology teacher who attempts to save his school's music program by becoming an MMA fighter. It was als ...

''. Azar recorded a number of promotional singles throughout the 2010s. The first of these was 2012's "American Farmer", which the

sold at conventions. In 2015, Azar collaborated with Sophie Young to record the song "The Sky Is Falling (Patti Jo's Prayer)", which dealt with the subject of

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

. A high school senior in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

, heard the song and assembled a music video through the assistance of police detective Sgt. Steve Webster, a friend of Azar's. The music video was released on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

and its proceeds were donated to Not Here Justice in Action Network (a non-profit dedicated to the cause). In 2017, he recorded a television commercial jingle for

to promote their all-day breakfast menu. Azar club ebony

Also in 2017, he assembled a number of musicians who had backed B. B. King and

to create a

project known as Steve Azar and the King's Men. The aggregation released the album ''Down at the Liquor Store'' in August 2017, which was accompanied by a making-of documentary titled ''Something in the Water'' filmed by Azar's son Strack. It was recorded at Club Ebony, a part of B. B. King's museum in

Indianola, Mississippi Indianola is a U.S. city in Sunflower County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta. The population was 10,683 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sunflower County. History In 1891, Minnie M. Cox was appointed postmaster of Indianola, b ...

. Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal called the collection a "sultry album", also stating that "One can hear Azar's heart on this record". This project was followed in 2020 by ''My Mississippi Reunion'', a collaboration with blues drummer Cedric Burnside. Each song on the album references a city or aspect of the state of Mississippi. The album's lead single, "Coldwater", was released that August. After its release, the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters named the album as its 2021 winner in the category of Best Contemporary Music Composition.

Musical styles and influences

In a 1996 article from ''

The Clarion-Ledger ''The Clarion Ledger'' is an American daily newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second-oldest company in the state of Mississippi, and is one of the few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide. It is an operating d ...

'', news writer Gary Pettus stated that Azar considered

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

, B. B. King,

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

, and

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

to be primary musical influences. Pettus also wrote that " ile the tunes themselves don't mimic the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

riffs Azar absorbed growing up in the

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

, the intensity and passion of his playing does." Azar also noted that both blues and country were influential in forming his style. He told CMT in 2002 that "Country music to me has always been about real life and real things and real people and real life situations, a lot like the blues was. I’m not a blues man, I didn’t live their life. I grew up around it". As Azar largely writes his own songs, he has stated that he can "only write what I know, and I know the Delta". In particular, he said that his uncle Joe Nosef, a former mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi who died of cancer at age 35, was one of the main inspirations behind "Waitin' on Joe". Azar's singing voice has been compared to that of

, with Ben Scott of ''The Oklahoman'' calling him a "younger, less jaded" variant of the same. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock called Azar's voice "buttery-smooth" and "soulful", comparing him positively to

John Hiatt John Robert Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including new wave, blues, and country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has been awarded ...

. Azar's musical representation of Mississippi has led to honors by two different state governors:

Ronnie Musgrove David Ronald Musgrove (born July 29, 1956) is an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the 29th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from January 16, 1996 to January 11, 2000 and as the 62nd Governor of Mississippi from January ...

declared March 13 "Steve Azar Day" to reflect Azar's positive portrayals of the state in the music videos for "I Don't Have to Be Me" and "Waitin' on Joe", while

named him Music and Cultural Ambassador of Mississippi in 2017. The latter also requested that Azar write a song to honor the state's bicentennial in 2017. This song, "One Mississippi", appeared on ''My Mississippi Reunion''. In 2022, state governor

Tate Reeves Jonathan Tate Reeves (born June 5, 1974) is an American politician serving as the 65th governor of Mississippi since 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Reeves served as the 32nd lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020 and as ...

signed a bill making "One Mississippi" the official

state song Forty-eight of the fifty U.S. states have one or more state songs, a type of regional anthem, which are selected by each state legislature as a symbol (or emblem) of that particular U.S. state. Some U.S. states have more than one official state ...

of Mississippi.

Personal life

Azar has been married to the former Gwen Nabholz since 1989. The two met at a show where he was performing in

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...

. The Azars have three children: sons Strack and Adrian, and daughter Cecelia. They have resided in Greenville, Mississippi, since 2011. In 2006, the two started the St. Cecilia Foundation, which raises money for children's musical education. Azar competed on a special week of the game show ''

Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Art * ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...

'' in 2007 which featured country music singers playing the game to raise money for charity, and raised $22,600 for the St. Cecelia Foundation on his episode. He also serves as a musical mentor and artist in residence for Delta Music Institute, which is part of Delta State University. Azar also enjoys

golfing Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping w ...

, and has been ranked by ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competiti ...

'' on multiple occasions as one of the most popular musicians who also plays golf. Azar started the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival, an annual music festival held in his hometown of Greenville, Mississippi, in 2013. The 2015 installment featured performances from

Old Crow Medicine Show Old Crow Medicine Show is an Americana string band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been recording since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. Their ninth album, '' Remedy'', released in 2014, won the Gr ...

and

Chris Stapleton Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to ...

among others. This festival is intended to honor country and blues musicians, mainly those who are natives of Mississippi. The festival was relocated to Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 2020.

Discography

*'' Heartbreak Town'' (1996) *'' Waitin' on Joe'' (2002) *'' Indianola'' (2008) *''

'' (2009) *''Delta Soul: Volume 1'' (2011) *''Down at the Liquor Store'' (2017) *''My Mississippi Reunion'' (2020)

References

External links

Official website of Steve Azar

Official website of Steve Azar and The Kings Men

Official website of The Steve Azar St. Cecilia Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azar, Steve 1964 births American country guitarists American country singer-songwriters American country mandolinists Country musicians from Mississippi Living people Mercury Records artists Midas Records Nashville artists Musicians from Greenville, Mississippi Singer-songwriters from Mississippi American male singer-songwriters