Pam Tillis & Phil Vassar: Holidays and Hits
WHEN: Thursday, November 30, 2023, 8pm
WHERE: State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
TICKETS: range from $29-$99
For tickets, more information, or group discounts, call State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469) or visit online at STNJ.org. State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open by phone and email only, Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 5pm. For in-person purchases, Guest Services is open Tuesday through Friday from 12pm to 4:30pm. Additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
State Theatre New Jersey presents Pam Tillis & Phil Vassar: Holidays
and Hits. The country
singer-songwriters will perform holiday hits and their hit songs. Tickets .
About
Pam Tillis
A
singer/songwriter whose compositions have been covered in Country, R&B,
bluegrass, and rock as well as an actor with a long list of film, TV, and stage
credits; Pam Tillis is the daughter of Country Music legend Mel Tillis
and multi-media artist Doris Tillis. Tillis’ 1991 debut country album, Put
Yourself In My Place, went gold and yielded two No. 1 and two Top 5
singles. Her next three albums—Homeward Looking Angel, Sweetheart’s
Dance, and Greatest Hits, were all certified platinum. She
achieved six No. 1 songs during the ‘90s Country explosion, including “Shake
the Sugar Tree,” “Mi Vida Loca,” “When You Walk In The Room,” “In Between
Dances,” “Don’t Tell Me What To Do,” and her signature song, “Maybe It Was
Memphis.”
Tillis
is currently finding a lot of satisfaction mentoring young performers and
artists, including those in her all-female acoustic trio, The Rose Rustlers
(Haley Sullivan and Carson McKee). “I love mentoring,” she says. “I find myself
working with so many Millennial musicians now. They’re accomplished players;
none of them need help in the talent department. I’m just trying to pass on
some of the things I’ve learned from 30 years of touring and how to navigate a
very tough industry.”
As
Tillis stops to count her blessings, she reflects on the bonds she’s made from
teaming up with some other female veterans of Country Music, including her
fellow ‘90s chart toppers Lorrie Morgan, Suzy Bogguss, and Terri Clark. Morgan
and Tillis have recorded and toured together as “Grits and Glamour,” and
Bogguss and Clark frequently tour with Tillis under the banner “Chicks With
Hits,” swapping songs and stories, as only legends-in-the-making can. “I’ve
made lifelong friends from these tours,” she says. “It’s the kind of
camaraderie I couldn’t find when I was the only gal on the bill with a bunch of
male artists.”
The
Grammy® winner and Grand Ole Opry member’s talents
extend far beyond her recording career—she’s an accomplished actor with an
impressive list of credits, including the films The Thing Called Love and The
Neon Highway; the Broadway production of Smokey Joe’s Café; and
TV shows LA Law, Diagnosis: Murder, Promised
Land, Drag Race, Nashville, and Fairwood.
Tillis’
latest album, 2020’s Looking For A Feeling, finds her doubling down
on one of her first loves— songwriting. She wrote seven of the 11 tracks. Some
of her most formative musical years were in the late ‘70s—and the album
reflects that ‘70s Country Rock flavor. The many threads of her influences were
loosely woven together by hit Country writer/producer Jimmy Ritchey (Mark
Chesnutt, Jake Owen) on some tunes and Nashville rocker/producer Joe Pisapia
(k.d. lang, Guster) on others.
About
Phil Vassar
Phil Vassar’s reign of signature songs include 10 No. 1 singles and 27 Top 40
hits, including “Carlene,” “Just Another Day in Paradise,” “Six-Pack Summer,”
“When I Love You,” and many more.
Vassar’s songwriting career
blossomed in the mid-’90s when he landed a
publishing contract with EMI and penned hits for Collin Raye (“Little Red
Rodeo”), Alan Jackson (“Right on the Money”), Tim McGraw (“My Next Thirty
Years,” “For a Little While”), Jo Dee Messina (“Bye Bye, Alright”), and
Blackhawk (“Postmarked Birmingham”). He signed a record deal of his own with
Arista in 1998 and was named ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1999 and
2001.
Phil Vassar’s Songs From The Cellar TV Show airs on the Circle Network
and features artists, songwriters, entertainers, and athletes. Each show
features conversations and musical collaborations with some of today’s biggest stars. Phil’s laid-back style and quick wit brings out
interesting and entertaining stories with every guest. If fans miss Songs
From The Cellar episodes, they can catch up on the SFTC Podcast, streaming
on American Songwriter Network, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever fans enjoy their
podcasts.
Vassar was racking up hits on the radio long
before his solo recording career that has seen the release of nine albums, two
ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Trophies, ACM’s Top New Male Vocalist,
and sold-out shows across the country.
About
State Theatre New Jersey
After
major renovations, State Theatre New Jersey celebrated its 100th Anniversary in
December 2021 in a fully renovated theater including newly renovated lobbies,
all new restrooms, upgraded HVAC systems, a new elevator for access to all
levels, and brand-new theater seats. Originally built as a silent film and
vaudeville palace, State Theatre’s historic significance was honored by PBS by
featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the
fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be
streamed at STNJ.org/explore/treasures-of-new-jersey-documentary. Today, State
Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has
welcomed more than six million people through its doors since reopening as a
nonprofit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a
cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total
economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18
million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such
as Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John
Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop,
jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances.
State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.