Phil Vassar photo courtesy of Arista Nashville.
Dec. 11, 2006 — Julie Vassar, wife of country star Phil Vassar, is quick to point out her favorite part of the holiday season. "Christmas is such a hectic time," she says. "But what's great about it is that Phil spends time off the road and we get to spend quality time together. That's what we cherish the most."
The Vassars open up their Nashville home — all decked out for the holidays — for television audiences in Make A Little Christmas, which debuts on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m., EST/PST, and repeats on Wednesday, Dec., 20, at noon on Great American Country.
Vassar made a name for himself as a hit songwriter prior to landing his own record deal. He penned chart-toppers like "My Next 30 Years" for Tim McGraw and "I'm Alright" and "Bye Bye" for Jo Dee Messina. Soon after signing with Arista Nashville, he hit the top of the charts with self-penned hits like "Carlene" and "American Child."
The talented piano man treats viewers to holiday classics like "What Child Is This" and "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire," and showcases the singing talents of daughters Presley, age 3 and Haley, age 8, on the GAC special. "Music is our life and our livelihood and I like to get the kids around the piano and sing. We have a blast," the proud father says.
"I remember when I was a kid. I got to be one of the shepherds. I got to stand by my flock!" the Lynchburg, Va., native recalls. "Christmas is such a spiritual time and our kids are so innocent and so pure.
"This is a great time to slow down and think about what you've done all year, or what you've done in your life. It's also a point when you think about what you're doing both in your career and in your life ... your kids are growing up," he says.
In addition to sharing their favorite holiday music, the Vassars spend some time in the kitchen preparing a holiday meal of pork loin, cranberry apple chutney and cheddar grits. Says Phil, "My favorite holiday food has got to be turkey and sweet potatoes and my mom's Watergate salad (a dessert concoction made of pudding, pineapple and nuts). I gain 10 pounds just thinking about it!"
The holiday special also includes the seasonal music videos "O' Holy Night," (Martina McBride), "Where Are You Christmas?" (Faith Hill), "Santa Clause Boogie," (The Tractors) and "Redneck: 12 Days of Christmas," (Jeff Foxworthy).
Here are Phil Vassar's tour dates:
Dec. 29, U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Dec. 30, Alerus Center, Grand Forks, N.D.
Dec. 31, Target Center, Minneapolis
Jan. 18, Rams Head Onstage, Annapolis, Md.
Jan. 19, Whitaker Center, Harrisburg, Pa.
Jan. 20, Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City
Feb. 10, Silver Star Casino, Choctaw, Miss.
Feb. 23 & 24, Joe's, Chicago
March 31, K Country Jamboree, Gainesville, Fla.
April 12, The Hilton, Austin, Texas
April 13, Cowan Civic Center, Lebanon, Mo.
April 14, Wichita State University, Wichita, Kan.
April 22, Virginia Beach Bike Classic, Virginia Beach, Va.
(Ronna Rubin, a 21-year veteran of the music industry, can be contacted at ronna@gacmusicbeat.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)