He never claimed credit for inventing that fabulous style, but he certainly elevated it to an art form. In his later years he compiled a terrific CD called “Be There!” which featured dozens of those great old commercials. Steve was kind enough to give me a copy during that summer we worked together, and at the time I didn’t think much about it. In due course, however, it would become one of the most special and meaningful discs in my carrying case.

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It’s sad when I think of the last few days with Steve. We were in Greenwood, Nebraska, for a World of Outlaws broadcast, and they informed Steve that due to cutbacks he wouldn’t be back on our show the following season. He was deeply disappointed, but I’ll never forget how mature and professional he was. No whining or name-calling; just acceptance and moving on.

We had a few drinks that night after the show at a small hotel bar in Omaha. The entire crew was there, and it was a blast. Evans was in rare form, reeling off jokes and stories and making us laugh out loud with his wry, cynical one-liners.

A few weeks later we were in Las Vegas for our last show of the year. When we assembled that afternoon for our production meeting, and Steve wasn’t there, I knew something was wrong. Sure enough, he had died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack back at the hotel.

You’d have to go a long way to find a darker night in Las Vegas, I can assure you.

I still pop that CD into the player every now and then, and that powerful, charismatic voice still makes me smile.

I often think about something Steve told me on that long-ago night in Nebraska, when the whiskey flowed and the night grew late and things got kind of blurry. I told him how much I would miss working with him the following season, and that it just wasn’t going to be the same without him roaming the pits with us.

He shook his head. “Nah,” he said with a wry, knowing smile. “That’s the way this business is, man. They forget about you in two weeks.”

You’re a long way from forgotten, Steve. Five years later, we still love to hear that voice.

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