Vocal Music

EVENT DATE
Dec 6, 2023

LOCATION
MSA Campus
355 West Monticello St.
Brookhaven, Mississippi

Steve Azar is a country musician from Greenville, Mississippi, born in 1964. He started writing songs at an early age. He attended Delta State University, graduating with a degree in business management in 1987. He actively toured in the South.

In 1993, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Just three years later, he released his debut album, Heartbreak Town.

In 2003, Governor Ronnie Musgrove declared March 13th as Steve Azar Day in the state of Mississippi.

Azar is an avid golfer and in 2006, he and his wife founded the Steve Azar St. Cecilia Foundation. The Foundation raises money for local charities that work in the Delta region of Mississippi. Azar and his wife host a Delta Soul Celebrity Golf & Charity Event which benefits the foundation. The Foundation has awarded over $675,000 in grants from 2006 to 2017.

In 2007, he opened for Bob Seger on tour, performing in 46 shows. The tour was ranked “number 1 Tour in America” by Pollstar Magazine.

Azar moved back to Mississippi in 2011 where he was artist-in-residence at Delta State University. Azar co-founded the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival in 2013. The festival is held in Greenville in late September of each year. It highlights musicians and hosts a singer-songwriter competition.

In 2017, Governor Phil Bryant named Azar the Music & Culture Ambassador of Mississippi. As Ambassador, Azar wrote the official bi-centennial song for the state, which was recorded in July 2017.

Azar is the 2018 winner of the Governor’s Choice Award from the Mississippi Arts Commission.