Share and Follow
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Todd Snider, a singer whose thoughtfully freewheeling tunes and cosmic-stoner songwriting made him a beloved figure in American roots music, has died. He was 59.
On Saturday, Snider’s record label shared a statement on his social media accounts announcing his passing on Friday.
“How do we express ourselves about someone who always found the perfect words, who could distill everything into its essence through song and language, delivering lines that were both devastatingly funny and profoundly impactful?” the statement began. “He crafted rhymes and rhythms that instantly felt familiar and comforting, like an old friend or cherished blanket. He had a gift for finding humor in the whirlwind of life on Earth.”
Snider’s loved ones revealed in a statement on Friday that he had been diagnosed with pneumonia at a hospital in Hendersonville, Tennessee. His condition deteriorated, leading to his transfer to another facility. This diagnosis followed the cancellation of a tour after Snider was reportedly assaulted in the Salt Lake City area, as per a November 3rd statement from his management.
However, reports from the Salt Lake Tribune indicated that Salt Lake City police later arrested Snider. Initially, he refused to leave a hospital and subsequently returned, allegedly threatening the staff.
The canceled tour was meant to promote his latest album, “High, Lonesome and Then Some,” which debuted in October. Over his three-decade career, Snider skillfully blended folk, rock, and country elements. The Associated Press praised his recent work, describing him as a “singer-songwriter with the persona of a laid-back folkie” and a “stoner troubadour and cosmic comic.”
He modeled himself on — and at times met and was mentored by — artists like Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark and John Prine. His songs were recorded by artists including Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and Tom Jones. And he co-wrote a song with Loretta Lynn that appeared on her 2016 album, “Full Circle.”
“He relayed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs, and showed many of us how to look at the world through a different lens,” the Saturday statement from his label read. “He got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves, those same giants who let him into their lives and took him under their wings, who he studied relentlessly.”
Snider would do his best-known and most acclaimed work for Prine’s independent label Oh Boy in the early 2000s. It included the albums “New Connection,” “Near Truths and Hotel Rooms” and “East Nashville Skyline,” a 2004 collection that’s considered by many to be his best.
Those albums yielded his best known songs, “I Can’t Complain,” “Beer Run” and “Alright Guy.”
Snider was born and raised in Oregon before settling and making his musical chops in San Marcos, Texas. He eventually made his way to Nashville, and was dubbed by some the unofficial “mayor of East Nashville,” assuming the title from a friend memorialized thusly in his “Train Song.” In 2021, Snider said a tornado that ripped through the neighborhood home to a vibrant arts scene severely damaged his house.
Snider had an early fan in Jimmy Buffett, who signed the young artist to his record label, Margaritaville, which released his first two albums, 1994’s “Songs for the Daily Planet” and 1996’s “Step Right Up.”