Bill Graham / The Meridian StarSteve Azar and organist Jimmie Lee rehearse in the recording studio at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian Saturday. Azar and his band were in town to record “One Mississippi,” a song celebrating the state’s unique culture.

The recording studio at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian was put to good use Saturday when singer-songwriter Steve Azar stopped by to record the theme song for the state’s bicentennial.

The song, called “One Mississippi,” celebrates the state’s unique culture, with references to Magnolia trees, mockingbirds, slugburgers and shrimp boils.

“America’s music birthplace, where rock ’n’ roll was made, out of our gospel and blues and that pure country tune,” sings Azar, a Greenville native. “Authors and poets, so profoundly stoic; imagination of a child, let their words run wild. Now, that’s Mississippi.”

The song’s roots stem from a conversation between the singer-songwriter and Gov. Phil Bryant, who named Azar the state’s music and culture ambassador in 2017.

“He wanted me to write a song that kids in school could sing that represented us,” Azar recalled. “So I was ready to roll, because he was so inspirational…Songwriters are pretty much sticks-in-the-mud unless we’re inspired. Songs write themselves if you let them.”

“So, but the time I got to the car, I had it mapped out in my head…I was so moved by his passion, and compassion. So, it was an easy song to write.”

Alphonso Sanders, a noted music educator who played saxophone on the recording, sees the song – with its uplifting message – as a call for unity.

“This is a way to do it – through the arts,” Sanders said. “The arts have always been unifying. It’s just the rest of the world that tends to be in chaos. The arts have always propelled us into positive places.”

Bryant, who championed the idea of putting the studio at The Max, stopped by for a listen while Azar was recording.

“We’re the birthplace of America’s music,” Bryant said after touring the studio. “There’s young people all over Mississippi looking to record, so they can go out and tell everyone ‘look how good I am.’ We want them to come here and do that, without having to go to Nashville, Tennessee or some place like that.”

Saturday’s session was the first official use of the studio, according to Mark Tullos, CEO of The Max. The space will be available for professional musicians to rent, and perhaps more importantly, serve as a classroom for students wanting to learn the recording trade.

“That’s what its real purpose is,” Tullos said. “We want to bring up the next generation of musicians.”