Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2022. May we all be compassionate, kind, generous and grateful.
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In a Mississippi Minute with Steve Azar |
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Steve Azar---the immensely talented singer, songwriter, recording artist, radio host and official Music and Cultural Ambassador for Mississippi---did me the honor of having me as a guest on his very popular SuperTalk Radio show, In a Mississippi Minute. He invited me to talk about my book, This Magic Moment: My Journey of Faith, Friends and the Father's Love, as well as about the people and experiences I write about.
Talking with Steve was pure joy. He is so passionate and knowledgeable about the music business, its history, key players and especially the music and musicians with ties to our state. We discovered that we had so much to talk about that one hour was not enough. So, he arranged for us to do a second hour. The shows aired statewide on December 16 and 17 and repeated on December 19. They are also on his podcast. You can use the link below to go to the On Demand section on the SuperTalk website designated for his show:
Once you are on the page, click to play the December 16 show and then the December 17 show. Or you can opt to listen via Steve’s Apple/iTunes podcast.
Part I
Part 2
A big thank you to Tommy Dolittle, who is one of Steve's regular listeners who told him he thought my story would be a good fit for the show. I certainly appreciate his suggestion.
About Steve Azar
After 20 years based in Nashville, Steve and his family moved back to Greenville in 2011. Among his many career highlights was touring with Bob Seeger and The Silver Bullet Band. You may be hearing his hit, I Don't Have to Be Me (Till Monday) that is currently being used as the campaign theme for Pearl River Resorts. He continues to record and tour all over the country while hosting his statewide radio show that regularly features amazing musicians. Along with his musical talent, Steve is an exceptional golfer, motivational speaker, and as you will hear, a talk radio pro. Yet, he still finds time to use his gifts to benefit a wide variety of charitable causes.
The Steve Azar St. Cecilia Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, was founded in 2006 by Steve and his wife Gwen to serve as a vehicle for charitable service and giving back to their community through Steve’s abilities as a singer-songwriter and recording artist. The focus of the foundation is to raise funds for charitable organizations, particularly in the Delta region that aid sick, disadvantaged and abused children. The foundation also supports the promotion and growth of art and music within educational and cultural institutions.
Since it’s inception, the foundation has proudly disbursed a total of over $900,000 to worthwhile organizations. Steve has additionally raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes through the auctioning of songs. These songs are written for the highest bidder’s charity of choice. You can learn more on the foundation's
You can learn more about this extraordinary Mississippian, affectionately known as the "King of Delta Soul" on his website: www.steveazar.com. And, I highly recommend you listen to his show on SuperTalk Radio every Thursday and Friday at 1:00 pm (10:00 in the Hattiesburg area.) or when it repeats on Sunday at 10:00 am.
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A Meeting with Chancellor Glenn Boyce |
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I recently had the pleasure of meeting with University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce and to gift him with two of my books, This Magic Moment: My Journey of Faith, Friends and the Father’s Love and Ole Miss at Oxford: A Part of Our Heart and Soul. Boyce has done an outstanding job leading the University. May his tenue continue to prosper!
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Check Out Our Virtual Book Fest Panel |
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A reminder that the virtual panel for the Mississippi Book Festival that includes me talking about This Magic Moment, Susan Cushman (John and Mary Margaret) and Johnnie Bernhard (Sisters of the Undertow) with host/moderator Marshall Ramsey is available for viewing online: https://vimeo.com/642468921/a827452517.
If you enjoy hearing from authors about why they wrote a certain story, insights into their characters and what their process is like, you will definitely enjoy this and the other panels created for the Book Festival. It has been such a joy to read the latest books by my co-authors on the panel, two very talented writers who I have had the pleasure to get to know.
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This Magic Moment is a great choice for someone who loves true stories about...
--Growing up in the South
--Life and times in the 50s and 60s
--Early rock and roll, Doo wop and R&B music and the ability of music to bring people together
--The power of friendship to bridge any divide
--The mysterious ways our Heavenly Father works in our lives to bless us and achieve His purpose
Hardcover and Audiobook Available
click on the links below to see prices and purchase your copy
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For Those Who Prefer a Hardcover Copy |
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Includes 136 color photos of some of rock and roll's greatest icons |
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“I love that Bill is chronicling his friendships with Prentiss Barnes and Harvey Fuqua (both of The Moonglows) and Bill Pinkney
(The Drifters), sharing his magic moments with them and other contemporaries.”
Mary Wilson
Original member of The Supremes
“Wow! This book should be a movie! It’s a powerful story of love and brotherhood across the racial divide at a time when our nation needs healing as never before.”
Michael W. Smith
Christian Singer/Songwriter
"William Morris was the first former Ole Miss student to invite me to his house. He was forty years ahead of what is happening in today’s world. His book is one of the best I have read in quite a while. Everybody should read and understand it. I read every word. 'The Help' was a novel. This is a true story.”
James Meredith
Civil Rights Icon
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Signed copies also available at The Commissary (Ridgeland) and
Persnickety (Madison)
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Or Consider the Audio Book... |
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This story is everything I love – detailed memories of growing up in Mississippi, especially references to Murrah High School, Jackson, and the Delta; a tribute to 50s & 60s rock & roll music and the singers who gave it to us; an inspiring reminder of the power
of friendship; and proof of what can happen
with an unshakable faith in God’s providence.
Robert Johnson, music aficionado
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Like one of my all-time favorite author/narrators Shelby Foote, Bill Morris has a voice that grabs your attention and holds your interest throughout this beautifully written and well-executed audiobook. His story is a timely reminder of the extraordinary things that can happen when our hearts are truly open.
I listened with a smile on my face.
John Tate Taylor, Jackson, MS
Dr. Jim Ewing, former North Georgia State
English professor
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