At just 17, Knoxville born Wyatt Ellis is an award winning Appalachian musician who has become a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry, collaborated with the Knoxville Symphony, earned a No. 1 Billboard bluegrass album, and been named to Billboard’s 21 Under 21. A student of Bobby Osborne, Wyatt was invited to play mandolin on Osborne’s final recording of “Rocky Top.” Now, he’s stepping proudly into his next chapter as a professional artist and songwriter, following in the footsteps of the legends who came before him while bringing his own voice to the Smoky Mountain traditions that raised him.
“Rocky Top Bottom” is a heartbreak song with its boots planted firmly in the hills of East Tennessee. Built around a turn of phrase Wyatt Ellis just had to write when he heard it, the song finds Wyatt 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. It’s sad, but it doesn’t sit still. With the drive, wit, and spirit of the mountain music Wyatt grew up playing, “Rocky Top Bottom” turns heartache into something you can pick, sing, and grin your way through. It’s Wyatt Ellis and East Tennessee in a song, rooted in tradition, a little rowdy, and unmistakably home.
Written by: Wyatt Ellis, Mason Via, Brad Rempel
Written: July 29, 2025
Release date: September 11, 2026
Produced by: Wyatt Ellis and Sean Sullivan
Recorded: April 12, 2026
Recorded at: The Tractor Shed, Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Musicians
Wyatt Ellis — Mandolin, Lead Vocal
Julia Eversole — Bass, High Baritone Vocal
Alex Leach — Guitar, Tenor Vocal
Andy Teno — Banjo
Noah Goebel — Fiddle
Production
Sean Sullivan — Recording, Mixing
Miah Lajeunesse — Additional Recording at The Sound Lair, Maryville, Tennessee
Mike Monseur — Mastering
Rocky Top Bottom
Lyrics:
We were high as the Smokies,
next thing you know
She turned around and done me wrong
Miss Tennessee went and left me
Singin’ this lonesome song
You’re always gonna be
Sweet home to me
But I couldn’t keep you holdin’ on
I’ve hit Rocky Top Bottom
Ever since you’ve been gone
Rocky Top Bottom
Far as the eye can see
Rocky Top Bottom
Ain’t how it’s supposed to be
There’s a clear mountain view
of me losing you
Just watchin’ you movin’ on
I’ve hit Rocky Top Bottom
Ever since you’ve been gone
I’ve been sittin’ on the porch
Since she slammed the screen door
I’ve been sittin’ here for ten long days
With a blue tick hound
And the mournful sound
Of the rain on the window pane
Was it the tin roof talkin’
That got you walkin’
Was the ’shine just a little too strong
I’ve hit Rocky Top Bottom
Ever since you’ve been gone
Rocky Top Bottom
Far as the eye can see
Rocky Top Bottom
Ain’t how it’s supposed to be
There’s a clear mountain view
of me losing you
Just watchin’ you movin’ on
I’ve hit Rocky Top Bottom
Ever since you’ve been gone
There’s a clear mountain view
of me losing you
Just watchin’ you movin’ on
I’ve hit Rocky Top Bottom
Ever since you’ve been gone