Phil Vassar

<i>It's time to speak my mind.</i><br>
– “This Is My Life” <br><br>

Those who think they understand Phil Vassar – good-time, whirling-dervish-on-the-piano, hardest-workingman-in-country-music Phil Vassar – might be surprised at the steaming discontent rising from the lyrics of “This Is My Life.” But the simmering rage he directs at corporate fat cats, ineffectual politicians, and society’s quiet inequities can’t be too much of a shock to the legions of fans who know him best. <br><br>
Prayer Of A Common Man, his fourth studio album and first for Universal Records South, isn’t so much
departure as it is evolution. The Virginia-born singer, songwriter and musician may have taken his seat
as country’s leading piano man with the success of songs like “Just Another Day In Paradise” and “Six-
Pack Summer,” but his writing has steadily grown more introspective and personal. <br><br>

“A different guy wrote those,” Vassar admits. “I can look back on songs I’ve written, kind of smile and
remember what I was going through, but it’s a different life for me now. Experience changes you and
affects what comes out in your writing.” <br><br>

Vassar has become increasingly contemplative and emotional with his music as his career has
progressed. He considered his place in the world with “American Child,” addressed hard questions of
faith in “This Is God” and explored that which truly brings meaning in his most recent smash, last
year’s “Last Day Of My Life.” <br><br>

As much as Vassar’s muse has seen a logical expansion, he’s the first to admit that recent events
have pushed him to a tipping point. “Someone asked me the other day, ‘What are you, angry or
something?’” he explains. “I went, ‘Hell yeah, I’m angry. Is it okay with you to be paying $3.95 for a
gallon of gas? Is it okay that people send their kids off to school to get blown away?’”
<br><br>
As a single, involved father of two – daughter Haley, 8 and son Presely, 3 – Vassar feels those concerns
acutely. “It’s easy to be a happy-go-lucky guy when you’re young,” Vassar says. “Having kids raises your
level of concern about just about everything.” <br><br>

For instance, the tragedy at Virginia Tech, which hit home – quite literally – for the Lynchburg, Virginia
native and James Madison University alumni. “These are the kinds of things I’m concerned about,”
Vassar says. “Not getting drunk with my buddies. That’s still fun...once in a while. But the world I’m
raising my kids in is more important to me now.” <br><br>
He may be an acclaimed performer and chief executive of a successful business venture, but he’s also
the son of a factory worker from a small, Southern, lunch pail town. <br><br>

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I’m not looking for charity, I just need some clarity<br>

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I’ve got people counting on me<br>

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I’m tired that’s all, I’m up against the wall<br>

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lord hear me when I call<br>

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; - “Prayer Of A Common Man”<br><br>

“I grew up poor,” Vassar says. “Not middle class, we were just poor. You don’t really know it or
understand it when you’re a kid. I never had a car. I didn’t have one even in college. I’d have never
gone to college if I couldn’t run fast or jump high.” <br><br>

The track scholarship to JMU gave Vassar a way out of a town where there were only two career options – both factories, and it was college where his musical passions first took serious hold. He moved to Nashville and banged out a living playing piano in local clubs while writing original music and pursuing
an artist deal. His father’s work-a-day ethos propelled him through the long-odds gauntlet Nashville
poses for arriving aspirants. <br><br>

“My dad worked at a GE plant, and even though I don’t make minimum wage I still work my butt off,”
Vassar says. “Even today, I still have that work ethic where you feel like if you don’t work hard you’re
not going to eat. That’s something my dad instilled in me and my sisters. I’m not in that desperate
place anymore where I’m wondering if I should buy gas or milk, but I can definitely relate to that guy.” <br><br>

Hard work paid off for Vassar, first as a songwriter. He scored hits with Alan Jackson (“Right On The
Money”), Tim McGraw (“For A Little While”), Jo Dee Messina (“Bye Bye,” “I’m Alright”) and BlackHawk
(“Postmarked Birmingham”). His self-titled artist debut bowed in 2000 on Arista/Nashville, and the hits
continued to pile up: “Carlene,” “Rose Bouquet,” “That’s When I Love You,” “In A Real Love” and more.
He was named ASCAP’s songwriter or writer/artist of the year multiple times.
<br><br>
His early success as a writer led to one of the most unique hits packages to come out of Nashville in
recent years. With only three studio albums under his belt, Vassar offered up Greatest Hits Vol. 1,
released last year, which was split between hits he’s had as an artist, as well as new recordings of the
smash singles he’d written for others.
<br><br>
The release closed a chapter for Vassar, with Prayer Of A Common Man opening another. “I loved
Arista,” he says. “When I first started out it was the renegade label, but with all the mergers it has
been through there are a lot of artists over there now. I was always the guy who wrote his own songs
and produced his own records so it was kind of, ‘Well, he’s okay. Let’s worry about the other artists
who need more help.’”

<br><br>Vassar asked for and was granted his release, and quickly signed with Universal Records South. “I love
everyone at over at Arista, but it was time to move on. Being an artist isn’t easy, so you need a lot of
focus from everyone around you, and I’ve got that now.” <br><br>

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I look at the news, a river of blues<br>
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I’m so confused that I’m starting to sink<br>
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I can’t even think, let’s have a drink<br>
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; And turn up the radio<br>
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; – “The World Is A Mess” <br><br>
Co-produced with Universal Records South President and noted producer Mark Wright (Gretchen Wilson,Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack), the new album may show Vassar’s serious side, but he hasn’t
forgotten how to have fun. “My Chevrolet,” “Why Don’t Ya” and “Baby Rocks” rank among his best toe-
tappers and are already getting warm receptions at his heralded live shows.
<br><br>
Even on the love songs, Vassar shows his uncommon charm, wit and playfulness, be it “Around Here
Somewhere” or “It’s Only Love.” And he’s not shy about taking strong emotions
head on with “A Year From Now” or on the stunningly raw “Let Me Love You Tonight.”

<br><br>His songwriting is fueled by his hard-charging touring schedule. “People ask me why I still do so many
shows, but you work your whole life just to get to the point where people want you to come play,” he
says. “Plus, I’ve gotten in a groove the last few years where I can write on the road, come back and go
straight into the studio with the band and cut demos.”
<br><br>
“I’m actually more creative on the road. You’re tired and your defenses are kind of down. Some of the
best songs I’ve written have come when I was so exhausted that it kind of cleared out my head.”

<br><br>The ulterior motives in this grueling work pace are his children. “Now when I come home, I just want to
be home,” he says. “I want to immerse myself in that. If you can find a balance between those you love
and work, you’re doing pretty well.”

<br><br>And so the concerns on Vassar’s plate very much mirror those of his fans. “I’m just like everyone else,”
he says. “My payments are just a little bigger.” His response, likewise, is what you’d expect of someone
who prays the prayers of a common man: He’ll laugh a little, dance a little, cry a little and, this time
around, he’s not afraid to speak up.

<br><br>“I had a slam dunk first single all set to go, and then the Virginia Tech thing happened,” he says. “‘This
Is My Life,’ ‘The World Is A Mess’ and the title track were all written right before we went into the
studio. I was just so affected by everything going on in the world that I had to say something. I had to
say something real.” <br><br>

At this point, music fans should expect nothing less. <br><br>

<i>The happiness outweighs the sad<br>
And the balance evens out the highs and lows</i><br>
– “Crazy Life”
(read less)

<i>It's time to speak my mind.</i><br>
– “This Is My Life” <br><br>

Those who think they understand Phil Vassar – good-time, whirling-dervish-on-the-piano, hardest-workingman-in-country-music Phil Vassar – might be surprised at the steaming discontent rising from the lyrics of “This Is My Life.” But the simmering rage he directs at corporate fat cats, ineffectual politicians, and society’s quiet inequities can’t be too much of a shock to the legions of fans who know him best. <br><br>
Prayer... (read more)