Article Contributed by Morris Public Relations
Published on 2026-11-11
Mandolinist extraordinaire Wyatt Ellis, who was recently named one of Billboard's “21 Under 21,” released his latest single Friday (November 6), “Southern Love,” co-written by Ellis, Mason Via and Carson Peters.
“Southern Love” is a coming-home song about being gone long enough to understand where it is you really belong. The lyrics move from west to east, beginning under the California lights and chasing that feeling of home all the way back across the Mason-Dixon Line.
It's simple by design, full of vivid imagery and turns of phrase that make a country song feel familiar the first time it's heard.
There's a pretty girl a-waitin' in a cabin in the pines
You can travel 'cross the country, son, but you ain't gonna find...Southern love
Steeped in the country music of the hills and hollers of Southern Appalachia, it's the kind of song that rises with the smell of pine smoke and lingers like the slam of a screen door at dusk. It carries the ache of a place you've never truly left behind. Warm, driving and easy to sing, “Southern Love” is about rambling far enough to miss home and knowing exactly why you're headed back.
“Mandolinist Wyatt Ellis is a sight to behold.” — Bluegrass Situation
Listen to “Southern Love” on Amazon Music or explore more of Wyatt's music at WyattEllis.com.
The past week was a busy one for the Maryville, TN, native, who had the opportunity to play for a number of his Knoxville-area hometown fans, beginning with Wednesday night's WDVX 29th Anniversary Birthday Bash at the Bijou Theatre. Ellis and his band were joined onstage by his “Southern Love” co-writers Peters and Via.
Then on Saturday, Ellis headlined the official “Vols Village” stage for the University of Tennessee's Homecoming weekend celebration. As part of Ellis' two-hour performance, Carlos Lopez, the Spanish-speaking voice of the Vols, joined him onstage for a Spanish rendition of the UT theme song “Rocky Top.”
To top off the week, WIVK radio, Knoxville's hit country radio station, surprised Ellis with an invitation to be the Grand Marshal for this year's Christmas Parade taking place on December 4.
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,” which topped the Bluegrass Today charts, 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, winner of the 2024 IBMA Momentum Award, 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.
New Single – Available Now
Released November 6, 2026
Written by Wyatt Ellis, Mason Via and Carson Peters
Listen to “Southern Love”
Wyatt Ellis Official Website
UPCOMING APPEARANCE
December 4, 2026
Knoxville Christmas Parade
Grand Marshal: Wyatt Ellis
