Steve Azar

Stephen Thomas Azar (born April 11, 1964) is an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and philanthropist. Active since 1996, he has released a total of seven studio albums: one on the former River North Records, one on Mercury Nashville, and five independently. Azar has charted nine times on Billboard Hot Country Songs, most successfully with his late 2001-early 2002 hit "I Don’t Have to Be Me (’til Monday)", which reached the number two position there. After leaving Mercury in 2005, Azar began recording independently; Slide On Over Here, 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 and a jingle for McDonald’s 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, 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, with his singing voice gaining frequent comparisons to John Mellencamp. 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.