Phil Vassar has no plans on quitting music, even after his coronary heart almost give up on him.
The singer-songwriter has been give a second likelihood on life—and music—only a yr and a half after each a coronary heart assault and stroke prompted his coronary heart to cease beating for almost half-hour. He survived loss of life twice on Feb. 4, 2023. In the present day Vassar plans on taking advantage of this nation music second act.
“Medical doctors advised me I shouldn’t be right here,” Vassar says. “They stated I used to be in a proportion of beneath 1%. The truth that [I’m] right here and have any cognitive capability to stroll round and do all these items, it’s a miracle. So I’m very blessed.”
Vassar has had a blessed profession that started after faculty in Virginia en path to Nashville within the mid Eighties. His résumé contains almost a dozen No.1 singles and 27 high 40 hits over a Nashville profession that started within the late ‘90s. He’s additionally has simply launched a brand new single, “Like a Man’s Supposed To,” he co-wrote with longtime pal and collaborator Jeffrey Steele.
As an award-winning songwriter, Vassar’s additionally whipped up hits for superstars resembling Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, and Alan Jackson. Again in 1998, Vassar wrote “I’m Alright” which singer Jo Dee Messina was a No. 1 hit.
Practically 30 years later, he tune’s title may function the theme to the nation music veteran’s second act in life.
“My head’s clear, and I sing higher now than I’ve sung all my life,” Vassar says. “It’s only a matter of getting on the market and getting in higher form. I’ve sort of been doing that now for a number of months and getting again to touring subsequent yr.”
Earlier than embarking on his profitable profession in Nashville, Vassar excelled athletically on the collegiate degree in monitor and discipline. Up till this latest well being scare, Vassar says he was nonetheless coaching comparatively onerous and heavy. Understanding, in accordance with Vassar, was imagined to be a part of his match plan to assist stop critical points resembling his coronary heart assault and stroke. Nonetheless, regardless of the seriousness of his situation, staying in comparatively fine condition he thinks may’ve what saved him alive, and protecting him shifting ahead at the moment.
Though the incident occurred in early 2023, Vassar only in the near past opened up completely about each the center assault and stroke throughout an interview with A Style of Nation.
Some components of his nation muscle routine have been toned down for the reason that coronary heart assault and stroke. As a substitute of hitting the load room or operating like his faculty days, Vassar’s wellness program is extra reliant on lengthy enjoyable hikes. It’s serving to him proceed his quest to nonetheless make music at age 62, and carry out in entrance of packed homes all through the nation like he’s throughout his present Hits & Heroes tour.
“I used to be all the time a really bodily man,” he says. “Throughout my reveals, I cherished leaping up and down off and doing flips and handstands. In some unspecified time in the future, you in all probability must cease doing that since you’ll find yourself on the ground and that’s embarrassing. However it’s been nice.”
Phil Vassar Cheated Dying—Twice
Aside from what docs advised him following his well being scare, Vassar has zero recollection of any of the small print of Feb. 4, 2023, together with his 30-minute date with loss of life. “Everyone requested me, ‘Did you see something? Did you see Elvis?’” he says. “And actually, I don’t keep in mind any of it.”
What he does keep in mind pondering, nevertheless, was that how can a former athlete who nonetheless labored out, ate comparatively wholesome and drank carefully, all as a way to bulletproof himself from critical sickness may have occurred.
“I ran and labored out daily and ate proper and the subsequent factor I do know, I used to be in a wheelchair, asking, ‘What on this planet am I doing on this wheelchair?” Vassar recollects. “[Doctors] stated I had a coronary heart assault and a stroke. It was fairly, fairly traumatic.”
Looking back, he says the warning indicators have been there, albeit refined, together with his father dying in his early 50s. Vassar needs he paid slightly extra consideration to the “little points,” he had encountered earlier than brushing them apart. He remembers struggling some bouts of what he referred to as acid reflux disease or the instances he moments catching his breath he would and brush apart. “That’s simply your physique telling you one thing’s incorrect,” he admits. “I in all probability may have been on high of the blood work and stuff higher,” he admits.
Essentially the most telling signal he recollects, was battling excessive fatigue. It obtained so unhealthy at instances, he says, that main as much as the center assault his tour supervisor must nearly pull him away from bed at instances.
Nonetheless, the self-proclaimed health fanatic tried to make it to the health club. “I had a reasonably wholesome routine, so I after all I labored out and tried to shake off the stuff out of me.”
Then on Feb. 4, whereas at dwelling in Nashville, Vassar had suffered a coronary heart assault. After 911 acquired a name, first responders arrived. As a way to be revived, he stated first responders needed to shock him 11 no less than 11 instances, which prompted a number of cracked ribs. Three days later whereas nonetheless on the hospital, Vassar suffered his stroke. This prompted his coronary heart to cease beating twice, for a complete of almost half-hour.
Vassar says that in this time, docs had his arteries cleaned out, which he attributes to his faster than anticipated restoration. From Nashville, Vassar was transferred to Atlanta’s Shepherd Middle, the place the “Six-Pack Summer season” singer underwent intense rehabilitation.
Vassar says the remedy started with a number of rounds of cognitive-type workout routines to make sure his mind was functioning correctly. “That was in all probability a superb factor,” he says.
Progress was sluggish, he recollects. The primary steps towards bodily train started by taking just a few steps across the Atlanta facility. Quick strolls progressively was longer walks across the facility—as much as a number of miles a day, he says. Together with strolling, Vassar begun including basketball shootarounds as a part of this system.
Now he says, almost a yr and a half for the reason that stroke, it’s the very best he’s felt in many years.
“I respect all of the stuff [doctors] did.” Vassar says. “he says. “I really feel method higher now. I feel I’m extra targeted now…however it took slightly time to really feel regular once more.”
A Decathlete Mindset for Life
Earlier than making gold data was even an concept, Vassar, like many different sports-obsessed children within the ‘70s, wished to win a gold medal for the USA, like 1976 Olympic hero decathlete Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner).
“He was my hero,” Vassar says. “When he received the gold medal and was on the Wheaties field, I revered what he did and the way onerous he needed to practice.”
Vassar first confirmed his toughness as a star operating again Brookeville Excessive College in Lynchburg, VA. Like Jenner, nevertheless, monitor & discipline was his first ardour. He was a two-time state champ (1979-80) within the leaping occasions. His success led to his determination to pursue the decathlon at James Madison, the place he excelled earlier than leaving faculty early in 1985 when the eagerness to pursue music grew to become his obsession.
Vas could have left monitor & discipline early, however Vassar’s weight-training routine caught with him all through his music profession. He boasts about almost hitting a 400-pound bench press—and has the battle scars to show it. “I used to be benching within the higher 300s, that’s in all probability why I tore my pec muscle,” he admits now. “I used to be attempting so onerous to work onerous and really feel higher, I spotted I used to be in all probability simply injuring myself extra.”
In 2014, the damage and tear from his sports activities days mixed along with his excessive power nightly performances, through which leaping on and off his piano was a part of the routine, Vassar underwent two knee replacements. Inside three weeks, he says he was again on stage acting at almost 100%. “Decathletes are a distinct breed,” he laughs.
This time, nevertheless, Vassar has needed to scale it again slightly, and he’s OK with that. He now skips chest day and as a substitute opts for a extra enjoyable climbing and strolling routine alongside the paths surrounding Nashville in Tennessee’s Blue Ridge Mountains. A great exercise at the moment features a stable hike for as much as 10 miles, which is spectacular for an artist who was useless for half-hour in 2023.
“It places you in a zone the place you may simply type of give attention to something and the entire world goes away,” he says. “And generally you’ll see a bear strolling by or the lakes and the fish. Being this near nature makes me completely satisfied.”
Phil Vassar Isn’t Prepared for a Curtain Name Simply But
Vassar’s latest tune “Like A Man’s Supposed To,” kicks off maybe the ultimate leg of his lengthy and storied melody-making profession. The upbeat, saxophone heavy-collaboration arrives almost 1 / 4 century since his debut single, “Carlene,” reached No. 5 on the Billboard charts in 2000 whereas that self-titled album went gold. The piano-playing singer-songwriter went on to 10 No.1 singles together with maybe his most well-known “Simply One other Day in Paradise.”
Wanting again at his music success, Vassar now realizes how rapidly a profession flies by—and after battling his near-fatal well being points, how sudden it may finish. He’s additionally needed to take care of the losses of a few of his closest associates within the business, most notably nation icons Toby Keith and Jimmy Buffet. On the identical time, different icons of the business resembling Alan Jackson, Billy Joel and Elton John are closing the curtains on their lengthy and legendary careers. He could have cheated loss of life as soon as—or in his case twice—however seeing music’s end line has change into a tough actuality.
“That crosses my thoughts daily,” he says. “Dropping Toby was a tough factor. It was robust to see him undergo that. And Jimmy Buffett, I cherished that man. And when you have got Billy Joel and Elton John retiring—two of my idols—you begin to notice you’re on the again finish of your profession.”
A coronary heart assault and stroke has given Vassar the time to mirror on a few of his early present biz shenanigans. Afterall, he says, he realized the ropes from the heaviest hitters—and arguably hardest gamers of nation music—Merle Haggard, George Jones and Conway Twitty.
“George did all of it, however he was such a superb man, Vassar says. “They [all] stated, ‘Man, simply take it simple in your physique, it’s the one physique you bought. And, you recognize what? Now that I’m getting up in age, I notice it was good recommendation. I ought to have listened extra.”
In the present day, Vassar seems at Tim McGraw, and Kenny Chesney as position fashions for longevity. As soon as he says, throughout his athlete days, he would have the ability to dangle with them within the weightroom. “I’ve loads of respect for these guys, he says. “They actually handle themselves. They eat effectively, do all the precise issues to simply hold that wholesome way of life.”
Now, after knee replacements, torn pecs, and naturally protecting a detailed watch on his coronary heart, Vassar will fortunately accept lengthy walks and hikes alongside the Blue Ridge Mountains or no matter path is close to his subsequent present venue. Nonetheless, now that he’s been given a second likelihood to step onstage and once more entertain audiences for 90-plus minutes an evening, he’s important aim, for the remainder of this tour and for the total tour he anticipates for 2025, is to take a step again and soak in, the satisfaction of his profession.
“While you undergo one thing like this, you respect daily,” he says. “Numerous it obtained away from me. It was 25 years of blur, from doing data, recording albums and doing radio and movies. It was intense. Now I’m at a degree the place I can simply be myself and play my songs and entertain. And I like that.”
