Phil Vassar (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Phil Vassar (born May 28, 1962 in Lynchburg, Virginia) is an American country music artist, most notable for his songwriting and use of a piano as his most prominent backing instrument.

Prior to signing with Arista Records in 2000, Vassar's songwriting talent was no stranger to the airwaves, penning number-one hits for some of the most popular country artists of the late 1990s: Jo Dee Messina ("Bye, Bye" and "I'm Alright"), Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"), Tim McGraw ("My Next Thirty Years" and "For A Little While") Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo") and BlackHawk ("Postmarked Birmingham").

Vassar also co-owns a piano bar outside Nashville, Tennessee, where he performed his own material prior to signing a record deal.

In March 2007, Phil left Arista Records, and has since signed with Universal South.

Personal life

Phil was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia. He references this in his song "American Child". Phil has been touring for several years and always puts on one of the most high energy shows to emerge from Nashville. Phil used to own a restaurant in Nashville, where he sometimes performed. Although he got his start writing songs for others, Phil is a great entertainer in his own right. In 2006, Vassar entered his second season as a judge on Nashville Star. Vassar lives in Nashville with his wife Julie Vassar (a fellow songwriter) and their children. He attended James Madison University, but dropped out to pursue his music career. He is a brother of the Eta Kappa chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity.

Phil"s father was a singer"a crooner who toured the country but found himself frustrated when his dreams of fame failed to materialize. While he inspired Phil, he also challenged him. But for those moments, Phil"s mom was there"and her nurturing and compassion are the inspiration behind "The Woman in My Life." "The most important women in my life are my mother, my wife and my girls"my kids"so I incorporated them all." The song is another revealing and very personal piece"Phil"s depiction of his mother in the first verse sets the stage"and provides the emotional stability"that will lead him to the love of his life (co-writer and wife, Julie) in the second verse"and to the two daughters whose lives he celebrates in the third. He is also still really good friends with all of his high school buddies and deeply rooted in the Lynchburg community.

Trivia

Phil and his wife Julie have co-written two of Phil's singles: "The Woman In My Life" (mentioned above) and an earlier song, "That's When I Love You".

Singles

Phil has written several singles for other artists. These include:

BlackHawk - "Postmarked Birmingham"
Marshall Dyllon - "Live It Up"
Alan Jackson - "Right On The Money"
Neal McCoy - "I Was"
Tim McGraw - "For a Little While", "My Next Thirty Years"
Jo Dee Messina - "Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright"
Collin Raye - "Little Red Rodeo"

Discography

Phil Vassar (2000)
American Child (2002)
American Child (Bonus Tracks) (2003)
Shaken Not Stirred (2004)
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (2006)

Singles

Year	Single	US Hot 100	US Country	Album
2000	Carlene	#45	#5	Phil Vassar
2000	Just Another Day In Paradise	#35	#1	Phil Vassar
2001	Rose Bouquet	#78	#16	Phil Vassar
2001	Six-Pack Summer	#56	#9	Phil Vassar
2002	That's When I Love You	#37	#3	Phil Vassar
2002	American Child	#48	#5	American Child
2003	This Is God		#17	American Child
2003	Ultimate Love		#41	American Child
2004	In A Real Love	#38	#1	Shaken Not Stirred
2005	I'll Take That As A Yes (The Hot Tub Song)	#89	#17	Shaken Not Stirred
2005	Good Ole Days		#22	Shaken Not Stirred
2006	Last Day Of My Life^A	#47	#2	Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
2006	The Woman In My Life		#20	Greatest Hits, Vol. 1

^A"Last Day Of My Life" peaked at #75 on the Pop 100, as well as #72 on Hot Digital Songs. The song also reached #1 on Mediabase 24/7.

Links

Official website
Phil Vassar on MySpace

pdc:Phil Vassar

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