Wyatt Ellis Releases Heartbreak Bluegrass Single "Rocky Top Bottom"
The East Tennessee songwriter and mandolinist collaborates with Mason Via and Brad Remple on the new single.
Wyatt Ellis released his latest single today, 'Rocky Top Bottom,' co-written by Ellis, Mason Via and Brad Remple. Ellis enters his next major chapter with songwriting straight from the Smoky Mountains.
Recently named Billboard's '21 Under 21,' the young musician has become a prolific songwriter. 'Rocky Top Bottom' is a heartbreak song with its boots planted firmly in the hills of East Tennessee and built around a turn of phrase Ellis overheard. The song finds a young man hitting bottom while looking out from the top of the mountain: his girl gone, a screen door slammed, rain on a tin roof, a Bluetick hound by his side, and one spectacular panoramic view of everything that went wrong. As is often the case in bluegrass, even a lament can move along at a good clip, with the drive, wit, and spirit of the mountain music Ellis grew up playing.
'When I heard Brad tossing around the phrase 'Rocky Top Bottom,' I immediately knew there was a moonshine heartbreak song in there,' said Ellis. 'I grew up looking at the Smoky Mountains from my front porch, so I liked the idea of being surrounded by the prettiest view in the world while everything else in your life is falling apart. That felt like mountain music to me.'
About Wyatt Ellis
Wyatt Ellis is an East Tennessee singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer who's not just playing old music, he's making it new again. Born in Knoxville and raised in the foothills of the Smokies, Wyatt learned mountain music from old-timers and studied directly under bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne. Their relationship eventually led to Wyatt playing mandolin alongside Osborne on his final recording of the Tennessee classic 'Rocky Top,' recorded when Bobby was 90 and Wyatt was 13.
By 13, Wyatt had made his guest debut on the Grand Ole Opry, returning at 14 for his artist debut performing his own compositions. His debut album, Happy Valley, a collection of original instrumentals written by Wyatt, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart. Since then, his music has taken him from collaborations with roots music icons, including Bernie Leadon, Marty Stuart and Billy Strings to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, bringing the mountain music he grew up with into new rooms while keeping its roots firmly intact.
Now 17, Wyatt is increasingly defining himself through his songwriting. After first emerging as a young instrumental composer and mandolin player, he has grown into a prolific songwriter whose original songs draw on the language, landscape, humor, and musical traditions of East Tennessee. Songs like 'Rocky Top Bottom' reflect that evolution: deeply rooted in the music he inherited, but written from the perspective of a young artist finding his own voice within it.
Backed by a powerhouse band known for high-energy performances, Wyatt is carrying that music forward through songs of his own. Named to Billboard's 21 Under 21, featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame's American Currents exhibit, and serving as an ambassador for the Greater Smokies Region, he is part of a new generation keeping East Tennessee mountain music alive, moving and unmistakably connected to home.
Photo Credit: Addison Claire Creative
Photo Credit: Addison Claire Creative
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
