Americana troubadour Todd Snider, alt-country singer-songwriter, dies at 59

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 His record label stated Saturday in a report posted to his social media accounts that Snider died Friday Where do we find the words for the one who unfailingly had the right words who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the the bulk devastating hilarious and impactful turn of phrases the declaration read Invariably creating rhyme and meter that instantly felt like an old friend or a favorite blanket Someone who could almost dependably find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth Snider s family and friends had declared in a Friday declaration 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 evaluation 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 comment from his management squad 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 stated The scrapped tour was in help of his largest part fresh album High Lonesome and Then Specific which was distributed in October Snider combined elements of folk rock and country in a three-decade career In reviews of his newest 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 album Full Circle He relayed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs and demonstrated numerous of us how to look at the world through a different lens the Saturday announcement from his label read He got up every morning and started writing unfailingly 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 largest part acclaimed work for Prine s independent label Oh Boy in the early s It included the albums New Connection Near Truths and Hotel Rooms and East Nashville Skyline a collection that s considered by plenty of 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 honing his musical chops in San Marcos Texas He eventually made his way to Nashville and was dubbed by selected the unofficial mayor of East Nashville assuming the title from a friend memorialized thusly in his Train Song In Snider commented 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 circulated his first two albums s Songs for the Daily Planet and s Step Right Up