Downing was nominated as Best New Artist by the Academy of Country Music and appeared on Hee Haw, Nashville Now, and Dick Clark's American Bandstand television programs.

Hot 100 with "You’ll Never Miss the Water (Till the Well Runs Dry)", a duet with Little Esther Phillips.

That same year, Downing produced "Midnight Lace," which reached the 50s on the charts, and "I Ain't No Fool," which peaked at the upper 70s.

In 1987, Downing was signed by the Vine Street label, which released the "Oh How Beautiful You Are" (To Me) and "Just One Night Won't Do," both of which hit the Top 70.

Two years later, he was signed by Door Knob Records, with whom he produced the 1989 Top 100 hit, "I Guess By Now."

Downing built a five-decade career around his powerful singing voice and his hard-driving rockabilly-style piano.

In Europe, Crazy Music obtained exclusive rights for the original Team label recordings and released these in the form of a 2-CD compilation, Classic Collection.

In July 2002, he played the Oneida Casino's Rock'n'Roll Festival in Green Bay, Wisconsin with dozens of other rockabilly musicians.

He appeared at Ontario's Havelock Country Jamboree with Kenny Rogers and Roy Clark.

In 2005, Downing postponed plans for a European tour that was set to begin on July 1 in Austria.

In 2003, he produced the album, Straight Beat, with the Italian bluesman Edo 'Ndoss, which included songs written by Downing that he had not recorded himself.