The world lost a true artist when Americana singer/songwriter Todd Snider died on Friday, Nov. 14, at the age of 59.
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"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," read a statement on his official website.
"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."
As news of his passing spread, Snider's peers and collaborators began sharing their appreciations and memories of the "Beer Run" singer. Read more below.
Todd Snider Was "The Master of Telling a Story"
It was songwriters like Kris Kristofferson and John Prine who first took note of Snider's talents, according to Will Kimbrough. The guitarist, who began playing with Snider in the 1990s, recently spoke with NPR about his time with the artist.
"Todd was absolutely the master of telling a story," he said.
Both legends mentored Snider, and he was signed to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville label in 1993. He also signed with Prine's Oh Boy Records. Eventually, Snider became a mentor, convincing guitarist Aaron Lee Tasjan to move to Nashville.
"He was so beautiful and encouraging to so many of us," Tasjan said.
Cody Canada wrote in a statement how Snider brought out the best in him.
"The biggest compliment I got from him a few years ago was when I put out a song called 'Shut Up And Sing,' and Todd agreed to be on the track," said Canada. "It was a song I wrote in anger about feeling like a trained animal expected to just perform. When I sent him the recording, he said, 'If you aren't pissing people off, you're not doing your job, brother.'
Snider Also Had a Dark Side
The events leading up to Snider's death began with an assault outside his hotel in Salt Lake City. He was then arrested, "and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of disorderly conduct at Holy Cross Hospital, as well as trespassing and making a threat of violence."
Following these incidents in Salt Lake City and the cancellation of his tour, Snider returned home. According to a statement, doctors then diagnosed him with "walking pneumonia."
It was his battles with illness, pain, and addiction that inspired what would be his last album, High, Lonesome And Then Some.
Said Tasjan, "He was always very honest with himself. He was always very honest with his audience. He never tried to make things seem better than they were, yet he had this hopeful air about everything in his life."
