An un-credited review in Billboard was favorable toward the album, comparing Azar's voice to those of Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp. These three (along with Murrah and Bob Regan) were among the contributing musicians, and Azar co-wrote every track except for a cover of Paul Davis' " I Go Crazy". River North's founder, Joe Thomas, produced the album except for the final track, which Azar co-produced with songwriter A. "Someday" also received a music video which aired on the former TNN ( The Nashville Network). "Nights Like This" was also issued as a single, but it did not chart. The album's first two singles "Someday" and "I Never Stopped Loving You" both charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs in 1996. That same year, he released his debut album Heartbreak Town. Dissatisfied with the fast pace of the contract and the inability to put "emotion" in his material, he ended his contract to sign with the independent River North Records in 1996. Songwriter Roger Murrah discovered Azar performing at a Nashville nightclub and helped him sign a songwriter publishing contract. After the payments had been completed, Azar and his wife moved to Nashville in 1993 so he could pursue a recording contract. In addition, he and Joe owed money towards equipment they had bought. When one of his band members committed suicide and another was incarcerated for murder, he switched to performing as a solo act. Azar began touring locally at various clubs around Mississippi with a band that included his brother, Joe Azar Jr. After high school, Azar attended Delta State University, from which he graduated with a degree in business management. Azar had his first recording session in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 15 when his father took him there to cut demos. He was a regular customer at a liquor store that Azar's father owned. When Azar was 10 years old, he began receiving guitar lessons from Delta blues singer Sonny Boy Nelson. He began writing songs as a child, primarily for use in Catholic Mass and other liturgies at his church. Stephen Thomas Azar was born April 11, 1964, as one of five children born to Lebanese couple Joe and Virgie Azar in Greenville, Mississippi. In 2017, he was named Music and Cultural Ambassador of Mississippi by that state's then-governor Phil Bryant. In addition to his albums, Azar has also hosted a number of charities and music festivals. 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. King and Elvis Presley, and was credited to Steve Azar and the King's Men. His 2017 album Down at the Liquor Store featured a number of guest musicians who had previously played for B. 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. 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. 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.
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. Stephen Thomas Azar (born April 11, 1964) is an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and philanthropist.
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