Beloved Nashville musician, songwriter and Americana pioneer Todd Snider has died at the age of 59. An East Nashville institution, Snider has been a mainstay in the city’s music community for decades and can be credited with helping ignite the Americana movement that has taken over the world. Known for his quick-witted storytelling, the raconteur was candid about his stumbles and embraced his road-dog persona.
His death was announced via his record label on social media Saturday morning following a recent update that he had been hospitalized after contracting walking pneumonia while recovering from an assault that led to the cancellation of his upcoming tour.
“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?” Snider’s friends and family wrote on Facebook. “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 decade-spanning career as a genuine troubadour made him one of the most influential songwriters for up-and-coming alt-country artists. His 2004 album East Nashville Skyline defined a generation of Nashville musicians and marked a new era in folk music for the city. It also cemented East Nashville as a place for the Americana counterculture. Soon, creatives would flock to the neighborhood that cultivated a safe space for artists outside of the Music City norm.
Many such artists have shared tributes to Snider.
Located in the heart of Five Points, Snider’s studio the Purple Building which serves as a rehearsal space, recording studio and hangout has become a makeshift memorial for the treasured songsmith.
Celebrate the life and artistry of Todd Snider with our playlist of essentials.
