Phil Vassar's Songs from the Cellar

The second part of the best-of episodes “Kix” off with a hilarious unreleased story from when Brooks and Dunn opened for The Rolling Stones, told by the man himself, Kix Brooks. Phil introduces one of his favorite up and coming artists in Nashville, Lexie Hayden, as she performs her single, “Relit Cigarette.” They bond over the correlation between personal growth and growth as a songwriter, and how they directly influence the other. Phil flashes back to one of his favorite performances - Brothers Osborne playing their smash hit, “It Ain’t My Fault.” Phil and Vince Gill swap hilarious and humbling n...

The first best-of episode starts off with a never-before-heard, extended interview with Tracy Lawrence talking about his famous tour pranks. Phil then recalls one of his favorite moments of the whole series - getting to hear the behind the music story from Larry Gatlin on how he created one of Phil’s all time favorite songs, “I’ve Done Enough Dying Today.” Next is a special moment for Phil - an interview and performance with his daughter, singer-songwriter Haley Vassar. They talk about her being the inspiration behind Phil’s hit “American Child” and discuss the unique dynamic of cowriting as f...

Country music icon Jo Dee Messina visits Phil in the cellar to tell the stories behind their many hit records. Phil admits to almost making one of the biggest mistakes of his career in initially trying to talk Jo Dee out of recording “Bye Bye”; thinking it wouldn’t be a fitting female song, the track became both of their first #1’s. The two talk about the draining difficulties that come with constant touring and what they have to focus on to give stellar performances. Jo Dee shares what it’s like to tour as a mother and the adventures...

Phil features an array of his favorite up-and-coming female artists in the cellar. First off, Stephanie Quayle shares the good times had while creating her single, “Whatcha Drinkin ‘Bout.” Singer-songwriter Parker McKay tells Phil about her musical journey that brought her to Nashville and performs her song, “Honest.” Artist and guitar prodigy Arielle talks about meeting and working with her guitarist idols, namely Brian May of Queen, who helped create her signature model BMG guitar. She talks about her quest for the musical magic of the past and describes her old-school recording process before performing her aptly named tune, “Digital Worl...

Country music songwriter and Old Dominion frontman Matt Ramsey comes by the cellar to catch up with Phil and share stories from early in his career. He reminisces on his first trip to Nashville, brought by Phil’s sister, and getting to see some of his songwriting idols perform at The Bluebird before meeting Phil at the same cellar they’re recording this episode in. They connect over the importance of honing the songwriting craft, as the greatest success lies in the greatest songs. Ramsey shares stories of meeting his country music heroes early in Old Dominion’s career, includ...

Phil’s longtime friend, legendary country singer Tracy Lawrence stops by the cellar to share hilarious tour stories from the 90s, and talk about the differences between both record deals and radio singles having success between then and now. Tracy shares the story of how his hit song “Alibis” was almost a hit record for another “Tracy.” He talks about how he constantly tries to work on and adapt his live show to engage the audience as much as possible. Lawrence rattles off prank after prank that he pulled on the many artists he would tour with. Tracy tells Phil of hi...

Country music superstar band Lonestar hangs with Phil in the cellar and share stories of their recent Christmas tour together. They discuss the real life inspiration behind their #1 hit, “Front Porch Looking In” and perform it. They tell the history of their chart topping song “Amazed,” and a few interesting “awards” it has earned along the way. Tons of laughs are had as they recall the time that Lonestar’s lead singer, Richie McDonald, fixed Phil’s broken-down bus on their shared tour. They end their day performing yet another one of their hits, “Walking In Memphis,” as a duet with Phil.

Legendary country music singer and songwriter Vince Gill visits with Phil in the cellar, where they share stories about their many experiences at the Grand Ole Opry. Vince shares some songwriting tips that were passed down to him, along with how his musical-playing styles directly translate to how he writes lyrics. He also shares how important it is to be authentic as an artist as you form your own sound in search of success. Gill tells a few behind-the-scenes tales about recording his hit, “When I Call Your Name,” and performs it with Phil and Jeff Smith.  Vince tells them...

Brooks & Dunn frontman, legendary radio host, and Phil’s longtime friend Kix Brooks stops by the cellar to share old stories and talk about all things wine. Kix reminds Phil of a story about how the latter’s parents not-so-gently directed him away from becoming a drummer. Brooks shares his process of starting a winery in Tennessee - which used to be the 3rd largest grape growing state before the tobacco boom - and how Arrington Vineyards has been creating 20+ different wines for the past 11 years with a large portion of grapes being grown on their own property. He pivo...

Legendary rapper Chingy visits Phil in the cellar, where they discuss their shared appreciation of blurring the genre lines of music. He shares his love of Nashville, and the overwhelming number of hip-hop fans who live there. Chingy tells Phil of the artists from many genres who influenced him growing up, wo span genres from hip hop, pop, blues, soul, RnB, and gospel. He talks about the wild levels of success from his chart topping hit song, “Right Thurr” and performs a stripped down version with Phil. Chingy talks about the differences in independent artist promotion between his early days...

Hit singer songwriter Steve Wariner reminisces about the early days of his and Phil’s success, and they bond over the hilariously humbling moments that came early in their careers. Steve talks about his first days in Nashville as a 17 year old, working with Dottie West, Larry Gatlin, and Chet Atkins - who provided Steve with tons of wonderful experiences and tales to tell. Wariner shares stories of working with Garth Brooks early in the latter’s career, and how he knew he would turn into a superstar. Steve tells Phil about the time he got to write with one...

Up and coming artist Abby Anderson shares with Phil that he was one of her childhood inspirations that helped her get through her dreaded piano lessons. They talk about the first concerts they ever attended, and how they both greatly influenced them respectively as artists. Abby talks about growing up in a large family of many girls and the values that her parents instilled in them, and how that all translated into writing her first hit song, “Make Him Wait.”

Emerging artist Kyle Daniel grabs a drink with Phil while they connect over their shared success in crea...

Acclaimed actor Dennis Quaid spends the day at Phil’s Nashville estate, and the antics are endless! Quaid discusses his “first love” - music - and how he’s been able to incorporate it into his acting career. The two bond over the release and emotional benefit that comes from writing songs. Dennis talks about playing Jerry Lee Lewis in “Great Balls of Fire,” where he only had 1 year to learn how to play piano, and was given lessons by Jerry himself. Quaid shares how legendary songwriter Jack Clement coached him in his first music-movie, and performs Jack’s hit song, “It’...

Famed country music songwriter Craig Wiseman stops in the cellar to catch up with his longtime friend, Phil Vassar. They share stories from their early days co-writing songs, to being crime fighters in their shared neighborhood at the start of their careers. Craig tells the real life stories that inspired his legendary Tim McGraw hit, “Live Like You Were Dying.” He also shares his feelings on blending musical styles and blurring the genre lines. Phil and Craig discuss the influence that playing in bars early in their careers had on how they approached writing songs. They reminisce about writing “Americ...

Legendary singer-songwriter Larry Gatlin shares some of his songwriting tips, including how to steal from yourself at times! He talks about how growing up in church and listening to Gospel music greatly influenced his (and his brothers’) style of harmony. Larry shares a story about beating out a local band fronted by the great Roy Orbison in a children’s music competition in Texas. He discusses being brought to Nashville by famed songwriter Dottie West, whose house acted as a music-motel for other up and coming songwriters, such as Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Larry dives into great detail on t...

Kellie Pickler explains the differences between telling stories via two of her talents: acting and singing. Phil and Kellie talk about their shared passion for giving back to the community, and the famed country duets they got to perform together on their joined tour in 2017. The two bond over their experiences hosting TV shows and discuss what they enjoy about doing so. Kellie tells Phil about her time on Dancing With The Stars and tries to convince him to be a contestant on the show!

Performances:

“Red High Heels” - Kellie Pickler

“Jackson” - Kellie...

Brothers Osborne talk about their long history with Phil, including TJ first starting out in the music business by driving the truck for Phil’s tour. They all three discuss the lesser known job requirements and time consuming aspects that come with being an artist, but also the plus sides of working in music compared to other fields. John Osborne shares that the majority of songs that songwriters create never end up being hits, or ever even heard, and only a select few songs end up seeing success. Phil and the Brothers exchange stories about major power outages causing ch...

Hunter Hayes tells Phil of the inspiration and feeling behind his hit song, “Amen.” He and Phil discuss the process of writing an entire record, and all of the different thoughts, emotions, and  ups and downs that come along with it. Hayes walks Phil through the timeline of learning all the various instruments he knows how to play, starting out as a two year old on the accordion!

Performances:

“Amen” - Hunter Hayes

“That’s When I Love You” - Phil Vassar and Hunter Hayes

“Yesterday’s Song” - Hunter Hayes

To stay up to da...

Phil takes a tour of the world famous Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and gets the inside scoop on how that famous Number 7 Tennessee whiskey is made. Hit songwriter Tony Arata stops by the cellar to talk about the unique path his song “The Dance” took en route to fame with Garth Brooks. Pat Alger shares pieces of advice that he passes along to his Belmont University songwriting students, and details the success he found writing with Garth Brooks early in his career.

Performances:

“The Dance” (Garth Brooks) - Tony Arata

“The Thunder Ro...

Famed songwriter Mike Reid asks Phil about the timeline of writing his hits, revealing a number of the latter’s hits were written before moving to town and becoming a professional songwriter. Reid shares a piece of advice given to him about why writing “believable” lyrics is so important. Phil discusses the mentality he encapsulates to perform in any sized venue and to any sized crowd. Sister Hazel swings by to express their gratitude for their fans, and being able to put on The Rock Boat cruises with them. The band reveals details about their namesake - a hometown rescue...

Phil shares with Cam how he will always remember the first time he heard “Burning House” on the radio and how refreshing it was to have a song like that released among the other popular country music of the time. Cam discusses her California roots and how “small-world”-interconnected her team is. She talks about balancing her rapid ascent to success with her personal life, all while maintaining her naturally bubbly personality. She shares her musical influences that she gained while spending time on her grandparent’s ranch growing up. Cam talks about the aim of not solely being “commercial”...

Country music legend John Rich talks about the freedoms that come with releasing Big & Rich’s music under their own record label. Iconic guitarist Peter Frampton discusses his stripped down acoustic tour and the joy of getting to play live with his son, Julian. He also tells Phil about being a star-struck 14 year old while on the British TV show “Ready Steady Go!” with the Rolling Stones. Frampton shares his biggest piece of advice for all artists & bands who are just starting their careers.

Performances:

“I Wish You Were Beer“ - Phil Vassar & John Rich

“Do Y...

Iconic comedian Carrot Top talks about the production required to put on his live, touring show. He tells Phil about incorporating a joke about Mike Tyson into his show, and then coincidentally meeting him shortly after and being terrified. Carrot Top details the time he watched Queen the Musical with Queen’s drummer, Roger Taylor, and then got a studio of his castle recording studio. Former heavyweight champion of the world Iron Mike Tyson meets with Phil and shares his love of classic country artists, such as Buck Owens, Roy Clark, and Willie Nelson. Tyson tells Phil about how hi...

The one and only Steve Cropper shares the story of when Jerry Wexler set him up to write with Wilson Pickett, and they ended up writing multiple songs within the first couple hours of meeting. Cropper reminisces on the “Old Nashville” and all of the wonderful hangouts where he’d run into other music industry friends over the course of his 30+ year Nashville history, including a former bi-monthly commute from Los Angeles. Steve expresses his appreciation for European music fans and their dedication to follow the uncredited musicians “behind the music.” He also tells the story of being introduced to his (no...

Legendary Styx frontman Tommy Shaw stops by the cellar to tell Phil the "true story" of writing the hit song "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" - including experiences with family, friends, and an intoxicated Hawaiian boat ride. He details the path of his career, leaving Montgomery, Alabama as a teenager, turning down offers for a solo career, and joining a band in Nashville's famed Printers Alley - the latter which garnered a large fan base in Styx's hometown of Chicago, leading to them calling Shaw and asking him to audition for the band. Phil and Tommy talk about the...

Hit songwriter Jeffrey Steele talks about the journey of his musical career, starting as the frontman of  Boy Howdy in L.A., and ending up a full time songwriter in Nashville. Jeffrey turned down playing bass on the road with the band Lonestar to pursue songwriting, and later ended up writing the band’s hit single “These Days.” Steele talks about writing “Love Is A Beautiful Thing,” which sat uncut for 13 years before being recorded and released by Phi, and the two perform the smash-hit live as a duet.

Jessie James Decker heads straight from the airport to the cell...

Country Singer & Actor Charles "Chip" Esten stops by the cellar to discuss how he's had a career of blending his passions for music and acting. Most well known for his role as Deacon Claybourne on the popular TV series Nashville, Charles discusses how they tried to recreate the real life magic of the famed local music venue The Bluebird on their film set. Chip also dives into playing legendary singer/songwriter Buddy Holly in the U.K.'s hit musical "Buddy," and details the long-lasting influence Holly had on modern music over his tragically short career.

To...

Country music hitmaker, Phil Vassar, is a an award-winning, piano-pounding powerhouse; one of only a handful of musicians to have had multiple hits as a songwriter and solo artist. Phil’s hit list includes ten Number 1 ”Billboard” chart-toppers, fifteen Top 10 smashes and twenty-six Top 40 crowd-pleasers including Just Another Day in Paradise, Carlene, Six Pack Summer, American Child, For a Little While, That’s When I love You, My Next Thirty Years (Tim McGraw), Right on the Money (Alan Jackson), & I’m All Right and Bye Bye (Jo Dee Messina) to name a few.

In 2015, Phil completed his undergroun...