Phil Vassar | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Phillip George Vassar Jr. |
Born | May 28, 1962 |
Origin | Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. [1] |
Genres | Country |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano |
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | Arista Nashville Show Dog-Universal Rodeowave Entertainment |
Spouse | Julie Wood (m. 2003;div. 2007) |
Website | http://www.philvassar.com/ |
Phillip George Vassar Jr. (born May 28, 1962) is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw ("For a Little While", "My Next Thirty Years"), Jo Dee Messina ("Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright"), Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), and Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"). In 1999, he was named by American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) as Country Songwriter of the Year.
Later that same year, Vassar was signed to Arista Nashville as a recording artist. His debut album, Phil Vassar , was released in early 2000, producing five hits on the U.S. Billboard country singles charts and earning a gold certification in the United States. He followed it in 2002 with American Child , Shaken Not Stirred in 2004, and finally Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 in 2006 before Vassar left the label for Universal South Records (now Show Dog-Universal Music). His first album for that label, Prayer of a Common Man , was released in early 2008. He has charted nineteen singles on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, including two which peaked at No. 1: 2000's "Just Another Day in Paradise" and 2004's "In a Real Love".
Vassar was born May 28, 1962, in Lynchburg, Virginia. [1] He attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. While there, Vassar had taken up playing the piano, and eventually found work as a singer in clubs. [1] He was also a member of the Eta Kappa chapter of the Theta Chi fraternity. He then decided to move to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in music. Eventually, he was signed to a small publishing contract, but was unable to land any hits on this contract.
Starting in the late 1990s, Vassar began writing songs that were recorded by several country music artists. Among the artists who recorded his material were Blackhawk ("Postmarked Birmingham"), Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), Jo Dee Messina ("Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright"), Tim McGraw ("For a Little While"), Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"), and Neal McCoy ("I Was"). [1] Of them, "Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright", and "Right on the Money" all reached No. 1 on the country chart. "Bye, Bye" earned Vassar his first American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) award for Song of the Year, and in 1999 he was named ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year. [1]
In late 1999, Vassar was signed to his first recording contract, with the Arista Nashville label. His debut single, "Carlene", was issued that year, and by mid-2000 the song had gone on to peak at No. 5 on the Billboard country charts. It featured a backing vocal from Collin Raye. [2]
The song was the lead-off single to Vassar's self-titled debut album, which he co-produced with Byron Gallimore. "Carlene" was followed by "Just Another Day in Paradise", his first No. 1 hit as a singer. Shortly after that song peaked, Tim McGraw topped the charts with "My Next Thirty Years", which Vassar co-wrote. Overall, Phil Vassar produced three more singles: the No. 16 "Rose Bouquet", "Six-Pack Summer" at No. 9, and finally "That's When I Love You", with a backing vocal from Jo Dee Messina, [2] at No. 3. In addition, the album earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping 500,000 copies. [1] Its success led to tours with Kenny Chesney.
Vassar also co-wrote the tracks "God Bless This Town" and "Live It Up" on Marshall Dyllon's late 2000 debut album Enjoy the Ride , in addition to co-producing them with Robert Byrne. The latter was released as a single. [3]
American Child was Vassar's second album, once again co-produced with Gallimore. It was released in 2002, the same year in which he married Julie Wood, with whom he co-wrote "That's When I Love You". The album's title track served as its lead-off single, reaching a peak of No. 5 on the country charts, and the album itself peaked at No. 4 on the Top Country Albums charts. In mid-2002, he also co-wrote and performed a charity single called "Words Are Your Wheels" to promote literacy. Released exclusively through Walmart stores, this song featured guest vocals from Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride, and Sara Evans. [4]
While "American Child" was climbing the charts, Arista tested another song written by Vassar, "This Is God". The song was so well received by test audiences that American Child was re-released in early 2003. The re-issue featured "This Is God" along with a cover of Huey Lewis and the News's "Workin' for a Livin'", with Dann Huff producing both recordings. "This Is God" was issued as the album's second single, becoming a Top 20 country hit. After it, came "Ultimate Love", which peaked at No. 41.
In 2004, Vassar released his third studio album, Shaken Not Stirred . The album produced Vassar's second No. 1 as a singer in the song "In a Real Love". Also released from this album were the No. 17 "I'll Take That as a Yes (The Hot Tub Song)" and the No. 22 "Good Ole Days". Unlike with his first two albums, Vassar recorded Shaken Not Stirred with his road band. Vassar produced the album with Nick Brophy and Frank Rogers.
Vassar's first greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 , was issued in 2006. This album comprised the biggest hits from his studio albums to that point, as well as his renditions of "Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright", "My Next Thirty Years", and "Little Red Rodeo". The album also included three new songs. Two were released as singles, starting with the No. 2 "Last Day of My Life", which Vassar was inspired to write after attending the funeral of his friend Robert Byrne, with whom he co-wrote his 2001 single "Rose Bouquet". [5] The second and final single from Greatest Hits, "The Woman in My Life" (another song co-written by Vassar and his wife), reached No. 20 on the country chart, shortly before Vassar parted ways with Arista Nashville.
In March 2007, Vassar signed to Universal South Records, [6] which became part of Show Dog-Universal Music in December 2009. His first single for the label, "This Is My Life", was released in mid-2007, peaking at No. 35 on the country music charts. Succeeding it was "Love Is a Beautiful Thing" This song was co-written by Jeffrey Steele and Craig Wiseman, and was previously recorded in 1999 by Canadian singer Paul Brandt under the title "It's a Beautiful Thing". By April 2008, "Love Is a Beautiful Thing" had reached No. 2 on the country charts, and Vassar's first album for Universal South ( Prayer of a Common Man ) was released. A third single from this album, "I Would", was issued in July 2008 and peaked at No. 26. It was followed in early 2009 by the album's title track, which became the lowest-peaking single of his career at No. 53.
One week after "Prayer of a Common Man" fell from the chart, Vassar charted his eighteenth single, "Bobbi with an I". Released in April 2009, it was the first single from Vassar's fifth studio album, Traveling Circus , released in December 2009. It peaked at No. 46 after eight weeks on the chart, and was followed by "Everywhere I Go".
Vassar signed with Rodeowave Entertainment in 2011, [7] releasing the single "Let's Get Together". This song made the top 40 late in the year, followed by "Don't Miss Your Life" in early 2012. On March 18, 2013, Vassar released his twenty-second single, "Love is Alive". On November 15, 2016, Vassar announced via his Facebook page that his new album, American Soul would be released on December 2, 2016.
Released on January 17, 2020, the album’s production puts the songs front and center. It features songs written over the past 20 years but never-before recorded and new music, including "This Is Where the End Starts", co-written with daughter, Haley Vassar. Vassar's take on "Postmarked Birmingham," a hit he wrote for Blackhawk, is on the album. Numerous hit songwriters collaborated with Vassar on the album, including Ross Copperman, John Rich, Don Sampson, and Charlie Black. [8]
On March 26, 2002, Vassar married Julie Wood, with whom he co-wrote his singles "That's When I Love You" and "The Woman in My Life". [9] Vassar has two daughters: Haley (born August 27, 1998), from a previous marriage, and Presley Jade (born December 4, 2003) with Wood. Vassar and Wood divorced in 2007. [10] [11]
Vassar is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens. [12]
Floyd Elliot Wray, known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut in 1991 as Collin Raye with the album All I Can Be, which produced his first Number One hit in "Love, Me". All I Can Be was the first of four consecutive albums released by Raye to achieve platinum certification in the United States for sales of one million copies each. Raye maintained several Top Ten hits throughout the rest of the decade and into 2000. 2001's Can't Back Down was his first album that did not produce a Top 40 country hit, and he was dropped by his record label soon afterward. He did not record another studio album until 2005's Twenty Years and Change, released on an independent label.
Jo Dee Marie Messina is an American country music artist. She has charted six number-one singles on the Billboard country music charts. She has been honored by the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She was the first female country artist to score three multiple-week number-one songs from the same album. To date, she has two platinum and three gold-certified albums by the RIAA.
Blackhawk is an American country music band founded in 1992 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of founding members Henry Paul and Dave Robbins. They are accompanied by a backing band consisting of Randy Threet, Jeff Aulich (guitar), Jimmy Dormire (guitar), and Mike Bailey (drums). Paul, a then-former member of Southern rock band Outlaws, founded Blackhawk with Robbins and former solo singer Van Stephenson, both of whom had success as songwriters for other acts such as Restless Heart. Stephenson left shortly before his death from melanoma in 2001 and was replaced by Threet, then Anthony Crawford and Michael Randall; however, Threet has remained in the touring band. Robbins left in 2008 and was replaced with Jon Coleman before rejoining in 2010. After Paul re-established Outlaws in 2005, he, along with Robbins and the backing band, have toured as Outlaws and Blackhawk simultaneously.
American Child is the second studio album by American country music artist Phil Vassar. Released in 2002, the album initially contained twelve tracks, with the title track serving as the lead-off single, reaching top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.
Phil Vassar is the debut studio album by American country music artist Phil Vassar, released on February 25, 2000. It features the singles "Carlene", "Just Another Day in Paradise", "Rose Bouquet", "Six-Pack Summer" and "That's When I Love You". All of these, except "Rose Bouquet", charted in the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. "Just Another Day in Paradise" was Vassar's first Number One hit on that chart.
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 is the first compilation album by American country music artist Phil Vassar, released on May 2, 2006. This was Vassar's most popular album, along with being his final album for Arista Nashville, it consists of songs from Vassar's first three records: 2000's Phil Vassar, 2002's American Child, and 2004's Shaken Not Stirred. Also included are his own versions of songs that he wrote for other country music artists before beginning his solo singing career: "Bye, Bye" and "I'm Alright", "For a Little While" and "My Next Thirty Years" and "Little Red Rodeo". Three newly recorded songs — "Twenty One", "Last Day of My Life", and "The Woman in My Life" — are also included on this compilation. The latter two were released as singles, peaking at #2 and #20, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Shaken Not Stirred is the third studio album by American country music singer Phil Vassar. Released in 2004 on Arista Nashville, the album produced Vassar's second and final Number One single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in the track "In a Real Love". The second single, "I'll Take That as a Yes ", reached number 17 on the country charts, while the third single peaked at number 22.
Lee Roy Parnell is an American country music and blues musician. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. His highest-charting hits are "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am" (1992), "Tender Moment" (1993), and "A Little Bit of You" (1995), all of which peaked at No. 2. Four more of his singles have charted in the Top Ten as well. Parnell made a shift in the early 2000s back to the bluesier sounds of his early works, releasing two blues albums on Vanguard Records and Universal South. Besides his own work, Parnell has played slide guitar and National guitar on several other country and blues recordings.
Larry Stewart is an American country music singer, best known for his role as lead singer of the country pop band Restless Heart. In 1993, Stewart left the band in pursuit of a solo career, recording four solo albums and charting eight singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts before reuniting with Restless Heart in 2002. His highest-charting solo single was "Alright Already", which peaked at No. 5 in 1993.
Love & Gravity is the third studio album released by American country music group Blackhawk. It features the singles "Hole in My Heart" and "Postmarked Birmingham", which peaked at #31 and #37, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 1997.
American country music artist Jo Dee Messina has released six studio albums, two compilation albums, three extended plays, and 33 singles. She signed with Curb Records and released her self-titled debut album in 1996. The album spawned two top-ten hits: "Heads Carolina, Tails California" and "You're Not in Kansas Anymore". Messina's second studio album I'm Alright was released in March 1998. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 61 on the Billboard 200 list. The album produced three number one Billboard Hot Country Songs singles: "Bye Bye, "I'm Alright", and "Stand Beside Me". Messina's third studio release Burn was issued in March 2000. Not only becoming her first number-one album on the country albums chart, it also peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200. It would later certify platinum from the RIAA. The album's lead single "That's the Way" became her fourth number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. Burn also spawned "Bring on the Rain" and became Messina's fifth number-one country song.
"In a Real Love" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Phil Vassar. It was released on May 4, 2004 as the first single from the album Shaken Not Stirred. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on November 6 becoming his second number one hit of his career and his first since "Just Another Day in Paradise" in 2000. The song was written by Vassar and Craig Wiseman.
"Carlene" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Phil Vassar. It was released in October 1999 as Vassar's debut single, from his self-titled debut album (2000). "Carlene" reached a peak of number 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts and number 45 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and it reached number 1 in Canada. The song was written by Vassar, Charlie Black and Rory Bourke.
Prayer of a Common Man is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Phil Vassar. It was released on April 22, 2008, on Universal South Records. The album has produced two singles for Vassar on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "This Is My Life" (#35) and "Love Is a Beautiful Thing" (#2). The latter song was originally a Top 40 country hit for Canadian country singer Paul Brandt, whose version of the song was entitled "It's a Beautiful Thing". "I Would" was released in July 2008 as the third single and peaked at #26 in the fall of 2008. The title song from the album was released as the fourth single in March 2009, but only peaked at #53, thus becoming his first single to miss the top 40 since 2003's "Ultimate Love", which was a #41 hit.
"Bye Bye" is a song written by Rory Bourke and Phil Vassar and recorded by American country music singer Jo Dee Messina. It was released in January 1998 as the first single from Messina's album I'm Alright, and her first number-one single on both the U.S. and Canadian country charts, spending two weeks at number one on the former. "Bye, Bye" was certified gold by the RIAA on September 4, 1998, alongside "I'm Alright."
The discography of American country music singer-songwriter Phil Vassar consists of seven studio albums, three compilation albums, one live album and twenty-two singles. Before his signing with Arista Nashville in 1999, Vassar was a prominent songwriter, having co-written number one hits for Jo Dee Messina and Alan Jackson, and Top 5 singles for Tim McGraw and Collin Raye. As a singer, Vassar has reached number one on the country music charts three times.
"I'm Alright" is a song written by Phil Vassar, and recorded by American country music singer Jo Dee Messina. It was released in May 1998 as the second single and title track from her album of the same name. It became her second consecutive Number One hit on the Billboard country charts, spending three weeks at Number One. "I'm Alright" was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA on September 4, 1998, alongside "Bye, Bye."
"That's When I Love You" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Phil Vassar. It was released in October 2001 as the fifth and final single from his debut album Phil Vassar. It peaked at number 3 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Vassar co-wrote this song along with his former wife Julie Wood. They both also wrote one of his other singles "The Woman in My Life", which was a top 20 hit in 2006.
Traveling Circus is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Phil Vassar. It was released on December 15, 2009 as his second album for the Universal South Records label. The album contains the singles "Bobbi with an I" and "Everywhere I Go," both of which have charted on the U.S. country singles charts. Vassar produced the album on his own, and wrote or co-wrote every song on it as well.
"I'll Take That as a Yes (The Hot Tub Song)" is a song written by Vince Melamed and Jon McElroy, and recorded by American country music artist Phil Vassar. It was released in November 2004 as the second single from the album Shaken Not Stirred. The song reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)