Conservation Corner: April 15, 2002

Wildlife Mississippi Charter Member Releases Album
by James L. Cummins

I am pleased to announce that earlier this week Mississippian, Steve Azar, a charter member of Wildlife Mississippi, has released his debut, "Waitin' On Joe." One can only wonder if it is named after having spent many hours waiting on his older brother, Joe, who has never been on time - not even for duck hunting or fishing trips.

Growing up in Greenville, Mississippi and fascinated by the old blues and jazz musicians who used to congregate behind his father's liquor store - the first in the state - Steve knew early on that music would be his life.

In fifth grade Steve won a school talent contest, and by the time he was in eighth grade he was leading his church's choir and writing songs for the congregation's weekly prayer meditation. He sang at local weddings, funerals, charity events, fairs and school functions. He appeared on the annual St. Jude's Telethon in Memphis and the area March of Dimes fundraiser. At home, Steve absorbed all kinds of musical influences: Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, John Denver, Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond and John Mellencamp.

As a teen, he began sneaking out at night to the local clubs, and it wasn't long before he was fronting his own band. By the time he came to Nashville he was logging 200 dates a year in the Southeast. I spent many hours with Steve traveling around the state to such places as the "Sugar Shack" and "The Gin."

Steve landed a recording deal soon after moving to Nashville but fell victim to an all too-common music industry setback when his label shut down shortly after his debut single was released. Nevertheless, Steve continued touring and honing his writing skills, drawing from his own experiences and those of some of his close friends. "I feel like I had to go through some of the things I have the past few years to get to where I am now. As a writer it's been good for me to weather some ups and downs and to be there for friends of mine who've gone through divorces, money problems, deaths in the family, you name it. The new songs reflect all of that and I hope the honesty of it comes through on the album we're making," Steve explains.

On "I Don't Have To Be Me ('Til Monday)," Steve's first single for Mercury Nashville, like many of us, Steve taps into that increasingly common need for relief from the pressures of the world, a sentiment he observed firsthand when one of his best friends experienced a near-miss with an emotional meltdown from the stress of his job. "He's an old college buddy of mine with a fast-track job who always envied MY so-called job! He called and said he was just about to have a breakdown and needed to get away," explains Steve. "So we bummed around Nashville - played sports, talked and just had some fun. When he left, I wrote the song about escaping from the everyday pressures of being a grown-up once in awhile."

Steve. Congratulations. You finally made it!

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.