"Down Home" is the title of a song written by Rick Bowles and Josh Leo

Josh Leo

Josh Leo is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer active in Nashville, Tennessee.Leo was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but was raised in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1973, he moved to Chicago, Illinois and subsequently became a guitarist of the short-lived Eddie Boy Band...

 and recorded by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 band, Alabama

Alabama (band)

Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...

. It was released in February 1991 as the fourth single from their album Pass It On Down

Pass It on Down (Alabama album)

Pass It on Down is the tenth studio album from American country music band Alabama. It was released in 1990. Singles released from the album were the title track, "Here We Are", "Down Home", "Forever's as Far as I'll Go" and "Jukebox in My Mind"....

. The song hit number one on the Hot Country Singles chart in April 1991.

Lyrics

"Down Home" is about the narrator telling the story of his childhood growing up in a rural area or a small town ("Just off of the beaten path/A little dot on a state road map/That's where I was born and where I'll die"). The song continues by paying homage to the generally tighter knit social integrity of such rural developments ("Down home, where they know you by name and treat you like family/Down home, a man's good word and a hand shake/Are all you need").

Chart positions

Chart (1991)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1