Singer Phil Vassar offers his first holiday CD

By: JOAN TUPPONCE | Special correspondent
Published: December 25, 2011

Lynchburg native Phil Vassar always wanted to record a holiday CD but never got the chance until he started RodeoWave Entertainment, a record label/management company. "Noel," his first holiday offering, was released in November.

An award-winning songwriter and singer, the 47-year-old Vassar wrote five songs and recorded five holiday classics for the 10-cut CD.

"I had one song, 'Let's Make a Little Christmas,' that I had already written," he said in a phone interview from Philadelphia, where he was performing. "I wrote the other four the week I recorded the album."

Named Songwriter of the Year in 1999 by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Top New Male Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2002, Vassar, a James Madison University graduate, moved to Nashville in 1987. Since then he has written hits for a variety of country artists, including Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Collin Raye and Jo Dee Messina. He released his debut album in 2000 and soon after had his first No. 1 hit, "Just Another Day in Paradise."

Vassar wrote the jazzy "Doesn't Feel Like Christmas Without You" with the co-producer of his holiday album, Dane Bryant, whom he met at JMU.

"I knew I wanted to work with him," Vassar said. "I have been talking about it for years. It's great to actually do this [project] with him."

Vassar is winding down from a year of touring and promoting his new record label/management company. He started the company to gain more control over his career.

"With record labels, the parameters and restraints are incredible," he said. "When you start a company like this, you have to get out and meet people. It's very liberating."

Each spring, Vassar returns to Lynchburg to host a golf tournament for the Miller Home of Lynchburg, a residential group home for girls. He also hosts two concerts for the home each year. He learned about the Miller Home when he was in elementary school and sang Christmas carols at the facility. In 2007, he joined fellow artists John Mayer and Dave Matthews for a concert after the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

After playing a concert in Falls Church in Northern Virginia, Vassar will head back to Nashville to be home with daughters Haley, 13, and Presley, 8.

"I'm excited about going home," he said. "It's been a busy year."

The holidays are always a special time for him.

"I love the way Christmas makes you feel — how it makes you slow down and re-evaluate your life," Vassar said. "It makes you think about years past and look ahead toward things to come. But for me, it's the music that makes it all come alive."

He's proud that his music is now part of the holiday season.

"I've always dreamed of making a Christmas record," he said. "From the time I was a boy listening to Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and all the classic singers, I've wanted to do this. It's definitely one of my favorite records that I have ever made."

Vassar will have a new single out Jan. 23 and a new CD later in the year. His Christmas album, now available at digital retailers and www.PhilVassar.com, will be in stores next year.