By Matt Roman, USCM Intern
August 9, 2004

"Sweet home Alabama
Oh sweet home baby
Where the skies are so blue
And the governor's true"

In April of 1974, Lynard Skynard's hit, "Sweet Home Alabama," where these lyrics found a home, first blasted across radio waves, unifying the people of the South with its catchy tune and homegrown lyrics.

Thirty years later, music from the South still lives on, and there is yet another man uniting part of the South with his own brand of music. But instead of a hatred for Neil Young, this man is driven by his hatred for high taxes and lack of environmental renovations.

Meet the one and only Gadsden (AL) Mayor Steve Means.

Means works day in and day out to improve his city and protect its people. But when the nighttime hits, Means switches gears. He replaces his mayoral "reads" with saxophone reeds. He changes his tax sessions to jam sessions. In short, he goes from legislator to Daddy-O.

Ten years ago, in 1994, the award-winning Center for Cultural Arts in Gadsden decided to throw a party to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the United States victory in World War II. They had the food prepared, the drinks chilled, and the tables and chairs all set out on the lawn. But what they were missing was a band that would really get the party to rock. They called every local swing band they could get a hold of, but each one's price tag was bigger than Means wanted to pay.

That's when the idea hit him. Instead of buying a pre-made band, Means decided to make one from scratch.

"I have always been a person who loved the stage," said Means. "When I was about two or three years old, my mother would sit me down in the living room and we would listen to Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington; bands like that. Swing music was the music I was brought up on."

Means called up his friend Rip Reagan, the band director at Gadsden State Community College, and together they ran their fingers through their rolodexes and called up as many friends and local musicians they could find, asking each of them if they would be interested in joining a swing band headed up by the both of them. The answer they got was a resounding yes.

And so was born the "Kings of Swing" who were profiled in the June 2004 issue of Southern Living.

"I am not really sure how we came up with the name," said Means. "It just sounded right for us. It was just a fun band, and we had so much fun playing."

They weren't the only ones having fun at their concert. The crowd did too. The second they walked onto the stage and played covers such as Woody Herman's "Woodchoppers Ball," and Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade," as well as some original pieces written by Reagan, they were adored by the music fans of Gadsden. The World War II celebration was such a hit that the "Kings of Swing" were asked to play again and again. They were the talk of the town.

In fact, at one of their shows, as night fell and the "Kings" were wrapping up their act, the crowd gave such a resounding encore that there was nothing the "Kings" could do but answer the cheers and continue to play. They got some nearby cars, shined the headlights at the stage, and kept the people of Gadsden rocking all though the night.

For anyone that knows Steve Means, the way he went about forming the "Kings of Swing" should be no surprise. In fact, he has a similar story for how he originally became mayor of Gadsden.

"I always envisioned coming back to Gadsden," Means said about the town he grew up in. "I never thought of living anywhere else. But I never thought about being mayor when I was young. All I wanted to be was a garbage man, just riding on the back of that truck all day. It seemed like a great job to me."

Instead of cleaning up the town's trash, Means now gives his life to cleaning up the muck in his town's government. And the story of how he got there is just as crazy as how he formed his band.

Means had always enjoyed campaigning, from junior high school up through college. But since he had never held a major office in politics and was the band director at a local school, it made him the clear underdog.

"No one gave me a dog's chance," said Means. "Here I was, a 28 year old long-haired hippie band director, going up against nine respected, established men. But as the story goes, I was elected by kids who were too young to vote."

"See, I was a band teacher at Disque Junior High School when I decided to run, and one day my students got the idea that having their teacher as mayor would be pretty cool. So they started campaigning on their streets, and then their parents got involved, and their relatives, and their neighbors, and soon enough, I had a whole army trying to get me elected. And that's how I ended up where I am today."

For Means, the story of his election and his band are prime examples of how he lives his life. He always takes complete advantage of every opportunity that comes his way. The only question left is "What will he do next?"

For the people of Gadsden, the wait shouldn't be that long. Means will definitely keep them groovin- and shakin- while they wait.