Steve Azar has written a multitude of songs in his career, but only one of them is in line to be voted on by the Mississippi House of Representatives to become the state’s official song.
The current state song, “Go, Mississippi,” was adopted as the official state song in 1962.
Since that time, there have been several attempts to change the song, but none of them have gotten beyond committee consideration.
This one has.
House Speaker Phillip Gunn introduced the bill to change the state’s song and it made its way through the tourism committee and is bound for a floor vote.
“I can’t tell you how moved I am that Speaker of The House Philip Gunn has endorsed and introduced this bill for my ‘One Mississippi’ to become the new state song, that’s just wonderful,” Azar said. He serves as the state’s Music and Cultural Ambassador.
Gunn said the song is a good representation of Mississippi as a whole.
“I read the lyrics and it’s a great reflection of our entire state,” Gunn said. “It’s the history, the food, people, you just go right on down the list. Even the kids can sing it.”
Azar returned to Greenville from Nashville and was soon after scooped up by the Governor Phil Bryant to help out with the 2016 centennial celebrations.
“He said that he knew I stood for all Mississippians and that I’d been writing and recording for many years, songs about our Mississippi home and folks and sharing them with the world,” Azar said. “He was very specific when he asked me to write a song that our children in Mississippi of all ages could sing and that would represent us profoundly and accurately here in the state. I was all in to take on the task.”
The song was simple to write.
“’One Mississippi,’” wrote itself,” Azar said. “I wanted to just “paint pictures” of Mississippi in lyric and touch on all that makes us who we are. I’m blessed and honored to have been given this opportunity. It’s been a lot of fun.”
The song was originally recorded with members of BB King, Elvis and Little Milton’s bandmates. They still play live with Azar, but perhaps his favorite version of the song is the one recorded at his alma mater.
“Coming back full circle, the kids at my Alma Mater St. Joe, here in Greenville, also joined in, I guess I must have gotten it right because they absolutely nailed it,” Azar said. “So, a big thanks goes out to them for putting their wonderful voices and all into it.”
The version recorded at St. Joe can be found at: https://youtu.be/lQdd5RqODJY.
