"Down Past the Bottom"
"Down Past the Bottom" is a song with quite a storied history. Back in the late nineties, I penned this song to record with the Harlem All-Stars. That early version of the song originally appeared on my 1998 album, Manhattan Blues, which was reissued late last year.
A decade passed after the initial release and just as I was gearing up to lay down my own version, the legendary Wanda Jackson expressed interest in cutting it herself for her 31st studio album titled, Unfinished Business. This album also includes Wanda's version of another one of my songs, "Am I Even a Memory?"
In 2020, just as I revisited the idea of releasing my own version of the song again, the incomparable Lucinda Williams surprised me by putting her own spin on the track for her album, Good Souls Better Angels. "Down Past the Bottom" is the 10th song in the track list of this album, which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album in 2021.
Third time's a charm....
In 2024, I finally got to bring my vision of this song to life. "Down Past the Bottom" was recorded by Andy Gibson. It features Andy on steel, guitar virtuoso Chris Scruggs (Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives) on electric, Brad Albin (The Time Jumpers, Mandy Barnett, and Don McClean band) on bass, and me, handling rhythm guitar and vocals.
It is an honor to share this piece of my heart with these incredibly talented musicians and now with you. "Down Past the Bottom" is available on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, other streaming platforms, and it can be purchased on Bandcamp. It is the first of a string of new music I will be releasing in 2024. I am excited to share more releases soon.
Exclusive "Down Past the Bottom" merch is now available on my new website, www.greggaring.net.