I thought of ‘Spooky Rocky Top’ back in March of 2022 which was a time I was scoring for student horror films. I realized the haunting potential of its descriptive and storied lyrics when slowed down.

Specifically,

“…strangers ain’t come down from Rocky Top,
reckon they never will…”

The Osborne Brothers’ renditions of the tune are iconic to me, my family, and millions of others. In this remix, I sampled their recordings and isolated the vocals, guitars, banjos, and basses. The samples were then altered to feel less like a campfire jamboree and more like an “Appalachian lost in the woods horror film.” The first version of Rocky Top my brothers and I ever heard was Sonny and Bobby’s – this remix is a tribute to the Brothers and the Osborne family. 🧡

I posted this rough draft on TikTok on a whim, never expecting it to go where it continues to. I will always be honored to have played a small part of Nightmare at Neyland and to have been bolstered by the unrivaled support of the world's greatest fans, who never fail to showcase what it truly means to be a Tennessee Volunteer.

Go Vols!