Country music’s piano man Phil Vassar performing at Iowa Speedway

By JESSICA LOWE He’s been likened to Billy Joel for his heartfelt lyrics and his ability to not only soothe a crowd with a melodic tune but also rock a stage from a piano bench. On Saturday, country music’s piano man will be performing in Newton at the Iowa Speedway.

Vassar, whose current CD “Prayer of A Common Man” is now in stores, first hit the country scene as a song writer. Some of the Virginia native’s best known hits climbed the charts to No. 1 for other artists including Jo Dee Messina’s “Bye Bye” and “I’m Alright,” Tim McGraw’s “For a Little While” and “Next 30 Years,” Alan Jackson’s “Right on the Money” and Collin Raye’s “Little Red Rodeo.” “I came to town to try and be an artist and everybody hated my songs. All the labels hated my songs,” Vassar said of his arrival in Nashville, Tenn., the country music capital of the U.S. “Eventually I started getting songs recorded (by other performers) because nobody was going to let me record my own songs because ‘you’re a piano player and it’s not going to work and all that’ but anyway, once Tim (McGraw) and Alan (Jackson) and Kenny Chesney started cutting my songs and I started having big hits everyone started looking at me and said ‘Oh wait a minute.’” With his songs becoming hits for some of the hottest names in country music, Vassar finally got the elusive record deal he had been working toward. He then began releasing hits like “Carlene,” “Just Another Day in Paradise,” “American Child,” “In A Real Love” and “Last Day of My Life” which gave him three No. 1 hits and two top 5 songs on the country music charts. Vassar’s song writing and powerful performances are in the vein of many singer songwriters who he looked up to as a young musician. “I always looked up to Don Henley, Tom Petty, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Elton John and (Bruce) Springsteen, these were my heroes as a kid,” he said. “I always loved the fact that they wrote their own songs. I felt like I got to know them through their songs.” The country music star said he’s honored to have his name spoken with the legends he admires and said like them, he often finds inspiration for his music in his life. “My inspiration is mostly from every day life,” Vassar said. “I get it from my family, friends, my kids, love, happiness, unhappiness, whatever I’m thinking I write it down. I live these songs. I live all of them. It’s important to me to write stuff down as I go to it.” Another important thing in Vassar's life are his fans. “They are the best,” he said of his supporters. “They really are. I just think ‘How loyal are these folks?’ It’s the coolest thing about my job and for them to come to see you year after year and grow with you as an artist, I mean that’s a pretty amazing.” Vassar’s show also is amazing. During one of his high-energy concerts fans can find him atop his piano and running all over the stage. “Everybody whose never seen us say they find themselves having a great time. They never thought it would be that high energy and I like to hear that kind of stuff,” he said. “Once we get folks there we get them coming back.” Vassar will take the stage Saturday following the SCCA Jetta TDI Cup race and the Race 2 Recovery 225 USAR Hooter’s Pro Cup race. “We’re out there to make sure everyone has some fun.”

Jessica Lowe can be contacted at 792-3121 ext. 426 or via e-mail at jlowe@newtondailynews.com.NDN Staff Writer