Over the past four and a half years we’ve watched Wyatt Ellis go from an 11-year-old prodigy on the mandolin, to a polished professional artist at 16. With a lot of help from the Nashville bluegrass community, and the sort of dedication that is rare in a teen, this exceptional young man has made a mark on the music that is but a shadow of what he is certain to do over a lifetime.
His debut album, Happy Valley, demonstrated his prowess a year ago as an instrumentalist and tune writer, assisted by a who’s who of contemporary mandolinists. But he had one more hill to climb.
During the same time that he had been studying mandolin with Sierra Hull and Chris Henry, Ellis had been likewise mentored vocally by Paul Brewster, an elite vocalist in the bluegrass realm, whose contributions with The Knoxville Grass, The Osborne Brothers, and Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder have set him atop the Mount Rushmore of tenor singers.
Now Wyatt has released his first single as a vocalist and band leader, a new recording of the Stanley Brothers classic, Choo Choo Coming, written by Corbet “Cuddles” Newsome, which he first cut with the 7 Flat Mountain Boys in the 1950s. Ellis gives it a fine contemporary treatment, assisted by Gibson Davis on banjo, Alex Leach on guitar, Christian Ward on fiddle, and Sarah Griffin on bass. Alex and Gibson sing harmony.
It bears noting that Gibson and Sarah are teen performers as well.
Ellis has learned his lessons from Brewster just as he has from his mandolin tutors, bringing out a prodigious natural talent likely to leave an impact on bluegrass for quite some time.
Have a listen.
Choo Choo Coming from Wyatt Ellis is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers from AirPlay Direct.
