Phil Vassar is a country singer-songwriter who has cowritten hits for Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson, in addition to topping the charts as a performer. ∙ Vassar’s songwriting breakthrough came in 1996, when Engelbert Humperdinck’s son saw him performing “Once in a While” at a club, and passed the demo on to his dad, who recorded it. ∙ He was named Country Songwriter of the Year in 1999 by the Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). ∙ Phil Vassar, his 2000 pop-inflected debut, was certified Gold and spent 104 weeks on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. ∙ The video for his 2000 chart-topping celebration of all things normal, “Just Another Day in Paradise,” has racked up nearly 7 million views. ∙ The Academy of Country Music named him Top New Male Vocalist in 2002. ∙ In 2008, Prayer of a Common Man not only hit No. 3 on the Top Country Albums chart, but it also crossed over into the mainstream, debuting at No. 10 on the Billboard 200.