Legacy of Phil Vassar
Artists and genres Phil Vassar directly influenced — one hop forward on the family tree of music.
BlackHawkartistBlackhawk is an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of founding members Henry Paul and Dave Robbins, along with a backing band consisting of Randy Threet, Jeff Aulich (guitar), Jimmy Dormire (guitar), and Mike Bailey (drums). Paul, a then-former member of Southern rock band Outlaws, founded Blackhawk in 1992 with Robbins and Van Stephenson. Stephenson had been a solo rock singer, while both he and Robbins had success as songwriters for acts such as Restless Heart. Stephenson left shortly before his death from melanoma in 2001 and was replaced by Threet, then Anthony Crawford and Michael Randall; Threet has remained in the touring band. Robbins was replaced with Jon Coleman in 2008 before rejoining in 2010. When Paul re-established Outlaws in 2005, he began performing simultaneously in both Blackhawk and Outlaws, and the two bands' memberships converged.
Alan Jacksonartist
Tim McGrawartist
Jo Dee Messinaartist
Collin RayeartistFloyd Elliot Wray, known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut in 1991 as Collin Raye with the album All I Can Be, which produced his first Number One hit in "Love, Me". All I Can Be was the first of four consecutive albums released by Raye to achieve platinum certification in the United States for sales of one million copies each. Raye maintained several Top Ten hits throughout the rest of the decade and into 2000. 2001's Can't Back Down was his first album that did not produce a Top 40 country hit, and he was dropped by his record label soon afterward. He did not record another studio album until 2005's Twenty Years and Change, released on an independent label.
Neal McCoyartistHubert Neal McGaughey Jr., known professionally as Neal McCoy and previously as Neal McGoy, is an American country music singer. He has released 10 studio albums on various labels, and has released 34 singles to country radio. Although he first charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1988, he did not reach the top 40 for the first time until 1992's "Where Forever Begins", which peaked at number 40. McCoy broke through two years later with the back-to-back number one singles "No Doubt About It" and "Wink" from his platinum-certified album No Doubt About It. Although he has not topped the country charts since, his commercial success continued into the mid to late 1990s with two more platinum albums and a gold album, as well as six more top 10 hits. A ninth top 10 hit, the number 10 "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On", came in 2005 from his self-released That's Life.
Kenny Chesneyartist
Brooks & Dunnartist
Martina McBrideartist
Sara Evansartist
Paul BrandtartistPaul Rennée Belobersycky, known professionally as Paul Brandt, is a Canadian country music artist. Growing up in Calgary, he was a pediatric nurse at the time of his big break. In 1996, he made his mark on the country music charts with the single "My Heart Has a History", propelling him to international success and making him the first male Canadian country singer to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in the United States since Hank Snow in 1974. His second single "I Do" reached number one on the Mediabase Country chart in the United States. Brandt achieved later success in Canada with singles such as "Canadian Man", "Alberta Bound", "Didn't Even See the Dust", and "I'm an Open Road".