Born on May 28, 1964, in Lynchburg, Virginia, Phil Vassar grew up with two sisters under the care of his mother and musical father. With his father performing at their restaurant and at other local places, Phil quickly picked up on the importance of music. During his younger years, however, Phil found himself more interested in sports like track, which eventually helped him attend James Madison University. While studying business at college, Phil gave music a more serious thought and began centering his activities on music; he played during his free time and took classes in music theory.

In 1987, Phil moved to Nashville and began his search for a career in music. Between bartending and trying to find a record company, Phil learned how to play the piano and began performing in local clubs and bars. During this time he even dipped into songwriting. Several years later, in 1995, Phil used the money he had saved to buy the restaurant where he performed. Phil’s luck in the music business came about shortly after when a customer asked Phil for a demo tape. Phil gave him a recording of his song, “Once in a While,” which was then recorded by the Engelbert Humperdinck, the customer’s father. Phil was then introduced to several well-known songwriters in Nashville and began writing songs with them, which led to Phil’s discovery by executives in the industry. Phil was soon signed to the recording company EMI and wrote songs for Alan Jackson, Collin Raye, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina.

By 2000, after perfecting his performances in clubs and writing for big country stars, Phil had gained the experience necessary for him to move on in the music industry. He was finally signed as a solo artist with Arista Records. Soon, Phil released his self titled debut album and his first single, “Carlene,” jumped to the top of the charts. Phil improved on his initial success with his second single, “Just Another Day in Paradise,” which made it all the way to the No.1 spot. “My Next Thirty Years,” a song written by Phil for Tim McGraw, then took the No.1 spot only a few weeks later. Phil followed these successes with his second album, American Child, in 2002 and third, Shaken Not Stirred, in 2004. He claimed another No.1 hit in 2004 with “In a Real Love.”

Phil released his Greatest Hits, Vol.1 album in 2006 and his single, “Last Day of My Life,” became one of the most popular country radio hits.

Phil signed with a new recording label, Universal South Records, in 2007. "Arista's been my record label from the beginning, and it's been an amazing seven years - from 'Carlene' on to last year's 'Greatest Hits' and going number one with 'Last Day of My Life,'" Vassar says. "I think that as artists change and grow musically, it's important to shake things up on the business side, too. And a career mile marker like the Hits disc just makes the timing feel right to make a fresh start."