Photo Courtesy of Gov. Bryant/Facebook
Country music artist & Greenville native Steve Azar has been enshrined on the Mississippi Country Music Trail as the trail’s 32nd marker was unveiled during a ceremony at the Delta Hot Tamale Festival over the weekend.
Azar released his first album in 1996, but it was his second album, “Waitin’ on Joe” that catapulted the Delta native’s career in 2001. “I Don’t Have to be Me til’ Monday” was the first single released off the album and it would live on to be one of the Top 5 most played songs on country radio of all time. The album’s title track also became a Top 10 radio hit. The song’s music video featured Academy Award winner and fellow Mississippian Morgan Freeman and reached #1 on the CMT video charts.
Azar has since released four albums, the last two featuring The Kings Men, the former backup band to B.B. King.
Related: Azar’s album documentary highlights Delta roots
An advocate for the Mississippi Delta region, Azar co-founded the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival and serves as founder and host of the annual Delta Soul Celebrity Golf and Charity event.
Azar was named Mississippi’s Music and Culture Ambassador in 2017 by Governor Bryant, who was in attendance at Friday’s ceremony.
“Steve Azar has long shared his musical talents with the world and since I appointed him as Mississippi’s Music and Culture Ambassador in 2017, he has gone above and beyond in sharing the state’s story worldwide,” Governor Bryant said. “I’m honored to be on hand to unveil this marker celebrating his country music accomplishments and advocacy for music tourism.”
The Steve Azar Mississippi Country Music Trail marker can be found in front of Jim’s Café at 314 Washington Ave.
Azar, the host of ‘In a Mississippi Minute’ on SuperTalk Mississippi, will also host a concert in Leland on November 2nd to benefit those impacted by the recent flooding in the Mississippi Delta.
Founded in 2010, the Mississippi Country Music Trail recognizes the state’s contributions to country music. To learn more about the Mississippi Country Music Trail, visit mscountrymusictrail.org.
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