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.
His record label said Saturday in a statement posted to his social media accounts that Snider died Friday.
“Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the most devastating, hilarious, and impactful turn of phrases?” the statement read. “Always creating rhyme and meter that immediately felt like an old friend or a favorite blanket. Someone who could almost always find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth.”
Snider’s family and friends had said in a Friday statement that he had been diagnosed with pneumonia at a hospital in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and that his situation had since grown more complicated and he was transferred elsewhere. The diagnosis came on the heels of the cancellation of a tour after Snider had been the victim of a violent assault in the Salt Lake City area, according to a Nov. 3 statement from his management team.
But Salt Lake City police later arrested Snider himself when he at first refused to leave a hospital and later returned and threatened staffers, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The scrapped tour was in support of his most recent album, “High, Lonesome and Then Some,” which released in October. Snider combined elements of folk, rock and country in a three-decade career. In reviews of his recent albums, The Associated Press called him a “singer-songwriter with the persona of a fried 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.”
Todd Snider, Alt-Country Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 59 After Being Hospitalized as ‘Victim of a Violent Assault’
Snider also had walking pneumonia after he “began having trouble breathing” upon his return home from the hospital
NEED TO KNOW
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Todd Snider, known for leading the Americana music scene with his witty songwriting, has died at the age of 59
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“He got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves,” a tribute on his Instagram read
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Two weeks before his death, the singer-songwriter said he was the “victim of a violent assault out of his hotel,” shortly after he was arrested and released in Salt Lake City
Todd Snider, known for leading the Americana music scene with his witty songwriting, has died. He was 59.
The alt-country singer’s team shared a statement to Snider’s social media accounts, announcing his Nov. 14 death just weeks after he sustained “severe injuries” in an alleged assault.
“Aimless, Inc. Headquarters is heartbroken to share that our Founder, our Folk Hero, our Poet of the World, our Vice President of the Abrupt Change Dept., the Storyteller, our beloved Todd Daniel Snider has departed this world,” the message shared on Nov. 15 read. “Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the most devastating, hilarious, and impactful turn of phrases?”
After moving to Nashville in the 1990s, the Oregon native began his career as a troubadour and a self-proclaimed “free spirit” before studying under famed talents like Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joe Shaver and more. Before long, his 2004 album, East Nashville Skyline, became a key figure in the development of alt-country and Americana music.
“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 tribute continued. “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. Guy Clark, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker.”
Earlier this month, the musician was arrested in Salt Lake City and booked on charges of disorderly conduct, threat of violence and trespassing. He was released hours later and taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries.
Jason Merritt/FilmMagic
Todd Snider in 2009
Hours after his release, the “Alright Guy” singer revealed that he had been the “victim of a violent assault out of his hotel” while announcing the cancellation of his Lonesome and Then Some Tour on social media.
“Todd will be unable to perform for an underdetermined amount of time,” the Nov. 3 statement read. “We deeply apologize for the cancellation and any inconvenience it causes. We appreciate your understanding as Todd receives needed medical treatment. We hope to have more information on new dates soon.”
On Nov. 14, Snider’s friends and family shared that he had been diagnosed with walking pneumonia after he “began having trouble breathing” upon his return from the hospital.
“Right now we’re asking everyone who loves Todd to hold him in your thoughts in whatever way feels right to you,” the Nov. 14 statement read. “Say a prayer, light a candle, roll one up, send strength, or just keep him close in your heart. You’ve carried him through so much over the years, and he needs that from all of us now more than ever.”
Todd Snider, Alt-Country Pioneer and ‘Alright Guy’ Songwriter, Dies at 59
Snider’s family said in a statement that he had been diagnosed with pneumonia at a Tennessee hospital
Todd Snider, the American roots-rock and alt-country pioneer whose storytelling, slacker-with-a-heart-of-gold songs like “Alright Guy” and “Beer Run” made him one o’ them musicians’-musicians like his heroes Jon Prine and Kris Kristofferson, has died, his record label announced Saturday. He was 59.
Snider’s family said in a statement that he had been diagnosed with pneumonia at a Tennessee hospital before his condition worsened, forcing a transfer to another facility. The singer had just recently canceled a tour after he was violently assaulted Nov. 3 in the Salt Lake City area.
“Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the most devastating, hilarious, and impactful turn of phrases?” his label said in a statement. “Always creating rhyme and meter that immediately felt like an old friend or a favorite blanket. Someone who could almost always find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth.”
It was not immediately clear whether the Utah incident was related to his pneumonia diagnosis in Nashville. Before returning home, Snider had been arrested by Salt Lake City police when he refused to leave a hospital there and later returned to threaten staffers, according to local reports.
Snider’s cosmic-stoner persona was in full force for his latest album, “High, Lonesome and Then Some,” which he was preparing to take out on tour. Though he never quite achieved anything like true stardom, he was well-known around music circles and collaborated with the greats, including a song he co-wrote and performed with Loretta Lynn on her critically acclaimed 2016 record “Full Circle.”
His finest work was, by consensus, “East Nashville Skyline,” released in 2003 by Prine’s independent label Oh Boy. Though he settled in Nashville, Snider honed his craft in San Marcos, Texas (near Austin) and was born and raised in Oregon.
“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,” his label said. “He got up every morning and started writing, always working toward finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves.”
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