Todd Snider
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Todd Daniel Snider (born October 11, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk.


Early career

Snider was born in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
and grew up in nearby Beaverton, where he lived until he graduated from
Beaverton High School Beaverton High School (BHS) is a public high school located in Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is the oldest high school in Beaverton and is believed to be the oldest public high school in the state of Oregon that is in its original locatio ...
in 1985. After high school, he moved to
Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay A ...
to attend
Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) is a public community college in Santa Rosa, California with an additional campus in Petaluma and centers in surrounding Sonoma County. SRJC is governed by the Sonoma County Junior College District. History F ...
. He only lasted one semester, but while there, he learned to play the harmonica. With help from his brother Mike who bought him a plane ticket, Snider moved to
San Marcos, Texas San Marcos () is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city is a part of the Greater Austin, Greater Austin Metropolitan Area. San Marcos's limits extend into Caldwell County, Texas, Caldwell and Guadalupe County, T ...
northeast of
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
, after leaving SRJC in the late fall of 1985. Not long after arriving in San Marcos, Snider saw
Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He also wrote t ...
perform solo at
Gruene Hall Gruene Hall, built in 1878 by Henry (Heinrich) D. Gruene and located in the historical town of Gruene, Texas (now a part of New Braunfels), bills itself as "the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas". By design, not much has physically cha ...
, a legendary dance hall in
New Braunfels, Texas New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal County, Texas, Comal and Guadalupe County, Texas, Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 United Sta ...
southwest of
Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
. When he saw Walker that night, he decided he wanted to become a songwriter and began writing songs the next day. He told ''Lone Star Music Magazine'' in 2004, "I didn't even know how to really play guitar yet, but I saw his show and went and got one." Snider met Kent Finlay at his very first writer's night, which was at Finlay's San Marcos club, Cheatham Street Warehouse. Finlay, who was a songwriter in his own right, became an important mentor and introduced Snider to the songs of
Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...
,
Guy Clark Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff ...
,
John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...
, and
Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into ...
among others. Snider was soon packing small rooms in San Marcos and over the next few years began to draw enthusiastic crowds in Austin, as well. Snider also discovered Memphis songwriter Keith Sykes while living in San Marcos when a friend at the local record store turned him on to a pair of albums Sykes made in the early ’70s. In 1989, Snider's father moved to Memphis and happened to meet Sykes’ sister-in-law. Through that connection, Snider sent Sykes a demo tape of some of his songs. Sykes thought one of the songs had potential, so Snider moved to Memphis to try to work with Sykes. Not long after he arrived in Memphis, Snider landed a weekly residency at a local club The Daily Planet. He not only was soon packing the room, the audience knew the words to the songs and would sing along. Through Sykes, Snider met Prine in 1991 while assisting on pre-production work Prine was doing with Sykes in Memphis for his album '' The Missing Years''. It was the beginning of a friendship Snider and Prine had until Prine's death in 2020. In 1992, Sykes helped Snider land a development deal with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
. He recorded a number of sides in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
for the label, but they declined to pick up his option for a full album. Around the time of the Capitol deal, Snider began performing with a small band backing him which he dubbed the Bootleggers. The band's lineup fluctuated some over the first year or so, but by the end of 1994, the lineup was set with
Will Kimbrough William Adams Kimbrough (born May 1, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Biography Kimbrough was born in Mobile, Alabama. He started his musical career as a fo ...
on guitar, Joe Mariencheck on bass, and Joe McLeary on drums. Snider also had changed the band's name to the Nervous Wrecks. Sykes was a one-time member of
Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...
’s
Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett (until Buffett's death in September 2023). The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefe ...
and Buffett had recorded a few of his songs, so when the Capitol deal fell through, he reached out on Snider's behalf to Buffett's label, Margaritaville Records, which was distributed by MCA. Not long after label exec Bob Mercer saw Snider perform at an industry showcase in Memphis in April 1993, Snider flew to
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
to open a show for Buffett. After seeing his set, Buffett offered Snider a deal with Margaritaville.


Recordings


1990s


Margaritaville/MCA years

Snider's debut album for Margaritaville, '' Songs for the Daily Planet'', was released in 1994 and reached number 23 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Heatseekers Albums chart. Produced by Tony Brown and Mike Utley, the album was literally composed of songs he was playing at the Daily Planet nightclub in Memphis. Although there were a few guest musicians and singers on the record, the core lineup was Snider on acoustic guitar, Joe Mariencheck on bass, Joe McLeary on drums, Utley on keyboards, Eddie Shaver on electric guitar, and Peter Hyrka on mandolin, acoustic guitar, and violin. The record included a hidden track, "Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues," which became a minor radio hit, reaching No. 31 on the ''Billboard'' Album Rock Tracks chart. A talking blues for Gen-X, the song mocked the early ’90s grunge scene and featured a band that refused to play. The video for another single from the album, "Alright Guy," was in rotation on VH1. Snider's second album for Margaritaville/MCA, ''Step Right Up'', was released on April 23, 1996, and ''Billboard'' proclaimed it to be "more stunning than his debut." Brown and Utley were coproducers with Snider, and Utley backed Snider and the Wrecks on keyboards. Snider's third album, ''Viva Satellite'', represented a turning point in his career. Prior to making the record, Margaritaville left MCA and signed with Island Records for distribution. But MCA retained rights to Snider's recordings, so they would release the album. No longer recording for Margaritaville or working with Brown and Utley, Snider produced some sides at engineer Justin Niebank's studio in Franklin, Tennessee, with mixed success. Only one of the tracks he cut there would make the album, the finale "Doublewide Blues." Snider recorded the rest of the album at Ardent Studios in Memphis with producer-engineer John Hampton. He was backed by Kimbrough on guitar, Mariencheck on bass, Paul Buchignani on drums, and Rick Steff playing keyboards, and the result was a more straight-ahead rock record than his first two. Shortly before the album was released in May 1998, there was trouble at a private performance in L.A. for MCA execs and their staffs. Snider, who was struggling with drugs at the time, insulted those in attendance early in the set and then left the stage. Not long thereafter, MCA released him from his contract.


2000s


Oh Boy years

After leaving MCA, Snider disbanded the Nervous Wrecks and signed with
John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...
’s independent label,
Oh Boy Records Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label founded in 1981 by singer John Prine, his manager Al Bunetta, and their friend Dan Einstein. The label has released more than 40 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris ...
. Oh Boy released his fourth album, ''Happy To Be Here'', on April 18, 2000. Working with producer
Ray Kennedy Raymond Kennedy (28 July 1951 – 30 November 2021) was an English Association football, footballer who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal F.C., Arsenal and Liverpool F.C., Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s. Kennedy playe ...
, Snider recorded all the songs solo acoustic, then additional instrumentation was added to his guitar and vocal tracks. Besides Kennedy who played a variety of instruments on the record, guitarists
Pat Buchanan Patrick Joseph Buchanan ( ; born November 2, 1938) is an American paleoconservative author, political commentator, and politician. He was an assistant and special consultant to U.S. presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He ...
and Will Kimbrough, bassists
Joey Spampinato Joseph Nicholas Spampinato (born August 16, 1948) is a multi-instrumentalist and was a founding member and bass player of NRBQ. He was also one of the band's lead singers and chief songwriters. Before NRBQ he played in several bands, includi ...
and Keith Christopher, keyboardist
Johnny Neel Johnny Neel (June 11, 1954 – October 6, 2024) was an American vocalist, songwriter, and musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is best known for his songwriting, his work as a session musician, and being a member of the Allman Brothers Band ...
, drummer Paul Buchignani, multi-instrumentalist
Peter Holsapple Peter Livingston Holsapple (born February 19, 1956) is an American musician who, along with Chris Stamey, formed the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, ...
, violinist
Tammy Rogers Tammy Rogers (born 1966) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. In addition to releasing three albums on the Dead Reckoning Records label (which she founded with Kieran Kane), she is also a founding member of the Grammy ...
, and horn players Jim Hoke and Wayne Jackson all contributed to the album. Oh Boy released Snider's second album for the label, '' New Connection'', on May 14, 2002. Produced by R.S. Field, ''Billboard'' said of the album, "Snider has settled into a groove of consistent quality and potent observation." Snider's third Oh Boy release was a live album, ''Near Truths and Hotel Rooms'', which was released on May 13, 2003. The record, which was recorded at half a dozen venues, captured Snider's live show post-Nervous Wrecks—just him solo with his acoustic guitar and harmonica.
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
gave the album an A− grade in his Consumer Guide. Snider's final studio album for Oh Boy, '' East Nashville Skyline'', was released on July 20, 2004. For the first time, Snider took full creative control of his record-making process, and the result was an album that was both a musical and cultural breakthrough. It introduced East Nashville to the larger world, and its influence reverberates to this day. Snider co-produced the record with his old Nervous Wrecks bandmate Will Kimbrough at engineer Eric McCullough's east Nashville studio. In addition to guitarist Kimbrough and multi-instrumentalist McCullough, he was backed on the sessions by a who's who of east Nashville musicians including guitarist Tim Carroll, bassists Dave Jacques and Dave Roe, drummers Paul Griffith and Craig Wright, and pianist John Deadrick. ''East Nashville Skyline'' included two iconic songs that added to the songwriting canon: "Play a Train Song" pushed the boundaries of "train" songs with the story of a man who was known for always requesting that kind of song, and "The Ballad of the Kingsmen" took the talking blues to a more contemporary place musically while connecting the censorship of "
Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a Standard (music), stand ...
" culturally to the Columbine shootings. ''
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'' called the album "the wittiest and feistiest album of his career." Christgau gave it an A in his Consumer Guide and called it "a slacker wakeup call." ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' ranked it the seventh-best album of 2004. ''East Nashville Skyline'' reached No. 28 on the ''Billboard'' Independent Albums chart. After '' East Nashville Skyline'', Snider moved to Bob Mercer's New Door Records label which was distributed by
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
, but Oh Boy would issue one more album of his music. On April 3, 2007, the label released ''Peace, Love And Anarchy (Rarities, B-Sides And Demos, Vol. I)'', a compilation of previously unreleased recordings. Notable among the collection's fourteen tracks is the song "East Nashville Skyline" which was intended to be the title track of the album of the same name but Snider did not finish it in time to make the album.


New Door years

While Snider was working on his first record for New Door, UMG released a selection of his Margaritaville and MCA back catalog. The collection, ''That Was Me: 1994-1998'', was released on August 30, 2005, through their reissue arm, Hip-O Records. The compilation included seventeen tracks from all three of the albums distributed by MCA, including "Alright Guy" and "Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues," plus a previously unreleased cover of "Margaritaville, a breakneck rendition on which he was backed by the Nervous Wrecks. Snider's first release for New Door was ''The Devil You Know'', the acclaimed follow-up to ''East Nashville Skyline'' released on August 8, 2006. Working again with co-producers Will Kimbrough and Eric McConnell, who both played multiple instruments on the album, Snider also was backed on the record by guitarist Tommy Womack, bassists Billy Mercer, Robert Kearns, and Dave Jacques, drummers Paul Griffith and Craig Wright, pianist Dave Zollo, violinist Molly Thomas, and legendary steel guitarist
Lloyd Green Lloyd Lamar Green (born October 4, 1937) is an American steel guitarist noted for his extensive country music recording session career in Nashville performing on 116 Chart Hit, No.1 Country music, country hits including Tammy Wynette's “D-I-V-O- ...
. The record went to number four on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers Albums chart. Christgau gave it an A in his Consumer Guide and called it "better" than its predecessor. The record was named to several critics' year-end "best" lists, including a number 33 ranking in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
s top 50 albums of the year, a number 25 ranking by '' No Depression'' magazine, and number 14 by ''
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...
'' magazine. On October 20, 2006, Snider made a solo acoustic in-store appearance at Grimey's New and Preloved Records in Nashville, performing material from ''The Devil You Know''. The performance was recorded and released by New Door on April 3, 2007, as ''Live With The Devil You Know At Grimey's Nashville 10.20.06''. It was his final release on the New Door label.


Launch of Aimless Records

In 2008, Snider launched his own independent record label, Aimless Records. The label's first release was his eight-song EP '' Peace Queer'', the most political record of his career. The title was inspired by the ’60s avant garde rock band
The Fugs The Fugs are an American rock band formed in New York City in late 1964, by the poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver (musician), Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of the Holy ...
who had a line about killing "peace queers." As Snider tells it in the press bio for the album, he was kidnapped by an international league of peace queers who forced him to write the protest songs that appeared on the record. Three of the tracks on the EP were recorded at co-producer Eric McConnell's studio with backing from some of the musicians who worked on Snider's two previous albums, including guitarist Will Kimbrough, bassist Dave Jacques, keyboardist Dave Zollo, and drummers Paul Griffith and Craig Wright. The remainder of the EP was recorded with co-producer Doug Lancio at his studio with Lancio providing musical accompaniment and
Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patricia She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ...
contributing backing vocals to two of the tracks—"Cape Henry" and the cover of John Fogerty's "
Fortunate Son "Fortunate Son" is a song by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released on the band's fourth studio album, '' Willy and the Poor Boys'' in October 1969. It had previously been released as a single, with " Down on the Corner" ...
." Released on October 14, 2008, the record went to number one on the Americana Airplay Chart and number eight on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers Albums chart.


Yep Roc album

Aimless did not release Snider's next album, '' The Excitement Plan'', because he had already committed it to Yep Roc Records, but it would be the last record he would make for another record label. Produced by
Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was (), is an American musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker and radio host. Since 2011, he has also served as president of the ...
and released on June 9, 2009, the album featured Snider with minimal backing: Was on upright bass,
Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Do ...
on drums, and
Greg Leisz Gregory Brian Leisz ( ; born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, banjo, lap steel and pedal steel guitar. Biography Leisz grew up in the garage ba ...
on dobro and pedal steel. ''PopMatters'' called the record "a masterwork of intimacy" and said it "solidified his place among the masters of the form." The Associated Press called it "the finest album of his career." ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' gave it four stars. Robert Christgau gave it a B+ in his Consumer Guide. The album went to number six on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Heatseekers Albums chart, and number 31 on the magazine's Independent Albums chart.


2010s


Aimless label years

On February 1, 2011, Aimless released a double-disc live album by Snider, ''Live: The Storyteller''. The album featured performances of songs spanning much of Snider's career along with some of the stories that have become a staple of his live shows. The performances were selected from recordings of concerts in 2010, primarily from shows in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
;
Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...
; and
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
, but also from his appearance that year at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. On some of the selections, Snider is backed by the jam band Great American Taxi. Christgau gave the album an A− in his Consumer Guide. ''
The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...
'' said the album "does a magnificent job of capturing the onetime San Marcos scenester's genius, a heady combo of post-folk punk and stoned comedian." The album went to number seven on ''Billboard''’s Heatseekers Albums chart and reached number 36 on the magazine's Independent Albums chart. After working with them on the road in 2010, Snider produced an album on Great American Taxi in 2011, ''Paradise Lost''. The record was released by the band's own label on February 22, 2012. Also in 2012, Aimless released a pair of albums by Snider. The first, '' Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables'', was released on March 6 and included nine original songs plus a cover of Jimmy Buffett's "West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown." The album's themes of economic inequality were widely noted. ''The East Nashvillian'' said Snider was a "one-man Occupy Wall Street" on the record. ''Rolling Stone'' called it "Occupy Nashville." Snider recorded the album at Eric McConnell's studio with McConnell co-producing and engineering as well as playing bass. Snider, who played acoustic and electric guitar and harmonica, was also accompanied on the record by violinist/backing vocalist Amanda Shires, Great American Taxi keyboardist Chad Staehly, and drummer Paul Griffith. In addition,
Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell ( ; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. One of the most celebrated contemporary songwriters in his genre, his lyrics are defined by their raw emotional honesty. Isbell began his career as a me ...
contributed slide guitar and backing vocals to "Digger Dave's Crazy Woman Blues." The record earned an A grade in Robert Christgau’s Consumer Guide. ''
American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...
'' gave it four-and-a-half stars. The album landed on three different ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' charts. It was number six on the Americana/Folk Albums chart, number 15 on the Independent Albums chart, and number 23 on the Top Rock Albums chart. It also made a number of year-end lists, most notably number five on Christgau's "Top 102 Albums of 2012." It also was ranked number 11 on ''American Songwriter''’s "Top 50 Albums of 2012," number 40 on both ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''’s Pazz and Jop: Top 100 Albums of 2012, '' Paste''’s "50 Best Albums of 2012," and number 47 on ''Rolling Stone''’s "Top 50 Albums of 2012." On April 24, 2012, Aimless released Snider's tribute album honoring one of his early mentors, ''Time As We Know It: The Songs of Jerry Jeff Walker''. Produced by
Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was (), is an American musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker and radio host. Since 2011, he has also served as president of the ...
, Snider was backed on the album by the members of Great American Taxi ( Vince Herman, acoustic guitar, mandolin, backing vocals; Chad Staehly, keyboards; Brian Adams, bass, backing vocals; Jim Lewin, electric guitar, backing vocals; and Chris Sheldon, drums, backing vocals.) In addition,
Kix Brooks Leon Eric Brooks III, better known by his stage name Kix Brooks (born May 12, 1955), is an American country music artist, actor, and film producer best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn and host of radio's ''American Country Cou ...
,
Elizabeth Cook Elizabeth Cook (born July 18, 1972) is an American country music singer and radio host. She has made over 400 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry since her debut on March 17, 2000, despite not being a member. Cook, "the daughter of a hillbilly s ...
, and Amy LaVere were guest vocalists on the album. ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' called the album "Snider's love letter to Jerry Jeff Walker." The album went to number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Americana/Folk Albums chart.


Hard Working Americans

In 2013, Snider cofounded the jam band supergroup Hard Working Americans with
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell (musician), John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJ ...
bassist
Dave Schools David Allen Schools (born December 11, 1964) is a bass player and founding member of American rock band Widespread Panic. He is also a record producer, songwriter and journalist with articles published in a wide variety of music magazines. Schoo ...
. The band's lineup was Snider on vocals, Schools on bass,
Neal Casal Neal Graeme Casal (November 2, 1968 – August 26, 2019) ...
on guitar, Chad Staehly on keyboards, and
Duane Trucks Duane Trucks (born December 28, 1988) is an American musician best known as the current drummer for Widespread Panic and Hard Working Americans. Life and career Duane Trucks was born on December 28, 1988, in Jacksonville, Florida. He began lear ...
on drums. After they recorded their first album at
Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with the Other Ones, later known as the Dead ...
’s TRI Studios, they added a sixth member, guitarist and lap steel player Jesse Aycock. The band's debut, '' Hard Working Americans'', was released by Melvin Records on January 21, 2014, and included 11 songs written by songwriters Snider admires, including
Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...
,
Dave Rawlings David Todd Rawlings (born December 30, 1969) is an American guitarist, singer, and record producer. He is known for his musical partnership with singer and songwriter Gillian Welch. He and Welch were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Ori ...
and
Gillian Welch Gillian Howard Welch (; born October 2, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, coun ...
,
Kevn Kinney Kevin Kinney, known professionally as Kevn Kinney (born March 12, 1961),"The Baseball Project at Wux ...
, Hayes Carll, and Will Kimbrough. Later that same year on October 28, Melvin released ''The First Waltz'', a two-disc set that included a CD featuring 11 live recordings by HWA plus a new studio recording with
Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Cash. Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws f ...
, "Come From The Heart," and a full-length documentary film about the band directed by Justin Kreutzmann. Melvin released Hard Working Americans’ second studio album, ''Rest in Chaos'', on May 13, 2016. The record featured a dozen songs with lyrics by Snider and music by the entire band, plus a cover of
Guy Clark Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff ...
’s "The High Price of Inspiration." ''
American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...
'' gave the record four stars out of five. On August 4, 2017, Melvin Records released a live double album by Hard Working Americans, ''We’re All In This Together''. Robert Christgau rated the album an A− in his Consumer Guide and called it "the rock dream the hippies invented before they burned out." In the spring of 2017, the band went into Cash Cabin Studios and recorded more than an album's worth of material written by Snider, but those recordings have yet to be released.


Elmo Buzz and the Eastside Bulldogs

In between his work with Hard Working Americans, Snider finished the album ''Eastside Bulldog'' which Aimless released on October 6, 2016. While it was released under Snider's name, the material grew out of his side project/alter ego Elmo Buzz and the Eastside Bulldogs who specialize in ’50s and early ’60s rock and roll. Six of the ten songs originally appeared on an EP ''Shit Sandwich'' that Aimless released in 2011 as a free download under Elmo Buzz's name. Snider was backed on those sides by Eric McConnell on bass, Jen Gunderman on piano, Mark Horn on drums, and
Dennis Taylor Dennis Taylor (born 19 January 1949) is a Northern Irish retired professional snooker player and current commentator. He turned professional in 1972 and won the 1985 World Snooker Championship, in which he lost the first eight frames of 1985 W ...
on saxophone. In 2016, Snider cut four more sides to complete the album with backing from Aaron Lee Tasjan on guitar, Keith Christopher on bass, Paul Griffith on drums, Robbie Crowell on sax, and Rorey Carroll on percussion, among others. ''The Irish Times'' called ''Eastside Bulldog'' "26 minutes of perfection that will rip your ears off." The record went to number 13 on ''Billboard''’s Americana/Folk Albums chart, number 29 on the Independent Albums chart, and number 41 on the Top Rock Albums chart.


Return to folk roots

On March 15, 2019, Aimless Records released Snider's 13th studio album, ''Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3''. Coproduced with Chad Staehly, Snider returned to his folk roots on the solo acoustic album, playing all the instruments on the 10 songs recorded at Cash Cabin Studio in the fall of 2018. Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires added backing vocals to two of the tracks, "The Blues on Banjo" and "A Timeless Response to Current Events." Isbell also added a backing vocal to the single "Like a Force of Nature." Half the songs on the record were among those he recorded with Hard Working Americans at the studio in 2017. Christgau graded the album an A in his Consumer Guide. ''Rolling Stone'' gave it four stars. The record went to number three on ''Billboard''’s Independent Albums chart, number 11 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart, number 21 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and number 23 on the Album Sales chart.


2020s

With the release of ''First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder'' by Aimless on April 23, 2021, Snider fulfilled his longtime vision of combining funk with folk. He produced the record and played most of the instruments on it, including electric bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo and piano. He also sang all the backing vocals. Robbie Crowell handled drums and percussion.
Tchad Blake Tchad Blake (born 1955) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixer and musician. A native of Baytown, Texas, he has worked with artists and musicians including Al Green, American Music Club, Ani DiFranco, Apartment 26, Arctic Monke ...
mixed the record, as well as contributed a few sonic and musical touches. ''No Depression'' said the record showed Snider "in all his glory." ''Rolling Stone'' said it was "a raw portrait of a world-class songwriter processing calamity and chaos in real time." Robert Christgau gave the album a B+ in his Consumer Guide. The album reached number 21 on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''’s Americana/Folk Albums chart and number 36 on the Album Sales chart.


Tribute recordings

In addition to his own recordings, Snider has contributed covers to a number of tribute albums during his career beginning in 1996 when he teamed with
Joe Ely Joe Ely (; born February 9, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was "one of the main movers" of Austin, Texas' progressive country scene in the 1970s and '80s. He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce ...
on a cover of "Oh Boy" for the
Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...
tribute album, ''Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly)''. On August 16, 2004, Snider appeared at a tribute concert at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas, to honor Billy Joe Shaver on his 65th birthday. Snider's performance of Shaver's "Waco Moon" was included on ''A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver - Live'', an album documenting the concert which was released on May 17, 2005. In 2006, three tribute albums were released that included sides by Snider. He recorded "Maybe You Heard" for ''The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson'' released on June 27 of that year. He contributed "They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore" to ''Why the Hell Not: The Songs of
Kinky Friedman Richard Samet "Kinky" Friedman (November 1, 1944 – June 27, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician, and columnist for ''Texas Monthly'', who styled himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Roger ...
'' released on September 26. And he covered "Traveling Light" for ''A Case for Case: A Tribute to the Songs of Peter Case'' released on October 2. Snider contributed a cover of "A Boy Named Sue" to the 2010 album, ''Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein''. The record also included covers by
Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...
, John Prine,
Bobby Bare Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", " Detroit City", and " 500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician. Earl ...
,
Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayl Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, ''Ramblin' on My Mind (Lucinda Williams album), Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (198 ...
,
Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She often appeared on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'', starting in 1985 during season 10. In 1990, Griffith appeared on th ...
, and
Black Francis Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965), better known by the stage name Black Francis, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies. Following the band's break ...
. In 2017, Snider covered "It Sure Was Better Back Then" for the tribute album ''An American Troubadour: The Songs of Steve Forbert'' which was released on October 6 of that year.


Film, television and books

In addition to the music videos and promotional videos he's appeared in for his own recordings, Snider has made numerous appearances on television and in films.


Television

Over the years, Snider has appeared a number of times on the late night network talk shows. On March 6, 1995, Snider performed "Alright Guy" with the Nervous Wrecks on '' Late Night with Conan O’Brien''. On January 29, 1996, Snider and Joe Ely performed Buddy Holly's "Oh, Boy" on ''
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
''. He returned to O’Brien's show for a performance of "I Am Too" that aired on May 13, 1998. In 2006 he performed "Looking for a Job" on ''
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...
'' on August 9. A few weeks later, he appeared on the Letterman show again, performing "Unbreakable" on September 1. Snider has also performed on several music programs during his career. In 1995, he appeared on ''
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
''’s '' In Concert'' and performed "This Land Is Our Land" and John Fogerty's "Fortunate Son" with backing from the Nervous Wrecks. In 1996, he performed on ''
Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American Concert, live music Television show, television program recorded and produced by KLRU, Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", an ...
'' with the Wrecks in an episode headlined by John Prine that aired on January 20. Also in 1996, Snider performed "Alright Guy" solo acoustic on
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
’s ''Crossroads''. In 1998, he performed "Rocket Fuel," "My Generation, Part 2," and "I Am Too"on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
’s ''
Reverb In acoustics, reverberation (commonly shortened to reverb) is a persistence of sound after it is produced. It is often created when a sound is reflected on surfaces, causing multiple reflections that build up and then decay as the sound is a ...
,'' backed by the Wrecks. Snider made three appearances in 2010 on '' Squidbillies'' during the fifth season of the Adult Swim TV series. He sang the show's theme song in episode seven, "Fatal Distraction," which aired on June 27, 2010. He voiced the character Lobster Freak in episode eight, "Clowny Freaks," which aired on July 4, 2010. He appeared as himself in the season finale, the half-hour, all-star musical special, "America: Why I Love Her," which aired on July 18, 2010, and also included Lucinda Williams,
Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock music, rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members (Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley (American musician), Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as ...
, and
Jimmie Dale Gilmore Jimmie Dale Gilmore (born May 6, 1945) is an American country singer-songwriter currently living in Austin, Texas. Life and career Gilmore is a native of the Texas Panhandle, having been born in Amarillo and raised in Lubbock, Texas. His ear ...
, among others.*


Film

Snider met the filmmaking brothers Brad and Todd Barnes in 2003 when they made a promotional film for his live album ''Todd Snider Live: Near Truths And Hotel Rooms''. During a break in the making of ''Tension: On the Road With Todd Snider'', Snider composed and performed a short instrumental piece for the Barnes brothers’ comedic short, ''Long Road Home'', released that same year. He also composed the music for their 2010 film, ''The Locksmith''. Snider also has starred in two "mockumentaries" directed by brothers. The first was 2009's ''Peace Queer: The Movie''. The 42-minute film allegedly offering proof that peace queers had kidnapped Snider and made him write the anti-war protest songs that appeared on his ''Peace Queer'' EP. He also starred in the Barnes brothers’ 2013 feature-length, stoner musical mockumentary, ''East Nashville Tonight'', alongside
Elizabeth Cook Elizabeth Cook (born July 18, 1972) is an American country music singer and radio host. She has made over 400 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry since her debut on March 17, 2000, despite not being a member. Cook, "the daughter of a hillbilly s ...
. In 1997, Snider performed a cover of
Steve Goodman Steven Benjamin Goodman (July 25, 1948 – September 20, 1984) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter from Chicago. He wrote the song " City of New Orleans", which was recorded by artists including Arlo Guthrie, John Denver, The ...
’s "This Hotel Room" at a tribute concert in Goodman's honor at the Medinah Temple in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. The concert was filmed, and a decade later, a DVD documenting the concert, ''Larger Than Life: A Celebration of Steve Goodman and His Music'', was released on November 6, 2007. In addition to Snider's performance, the DVD includes performances by John Prine,
Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk music, folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing protest song, songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his fa ...
,
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
,
Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...
,
Lyle Lovett Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957) Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American country singer and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded 14 albums and released 25 singles to dat ...
,
Iris Dement Iris Luella DeMent (born January 5, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. DeMent's musical style includes elements of folk, country and gospel. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award twice. Early life DeMent was born in Parag ...
, and Goodman himself. Snider starred along with his Hard Working Americans bandmates in ''The First Waltz'', director Justin Kreutzmann's documentary that captures the formation of Hard Working Americans and their first performances together in late 2013. The film was released by Melvin Records on October 28, 2014, as part of a two-disc set (CD/DVD). In 2020, the film '' Hard Luck Love Song'', which is based on Snider's song, "Just Like Old Times" and includes the song in the film, made a limited release. Then in 2021, the film was picked up by Roadside Attractions for wider distribution with a release date of October 15, 2021.


Books

On April 22, 2014,
Da Capo Press Da Capo Press is an American publishing company with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. It is now an imprint of Hachette Books. History Founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers, it had additional offi ...
released Snider's quasi-memoir, ''I Never Met a Story I Didn't Like: Mostly True Tall Tales''. ''Lone Star Music Magazine'' called it "one of the most charmingly witty memoirs to come down the literary pike in quite some time." That same year, Snider contributed a chapter to a book about his first mentor, Kent Finlay. The book, ''Kent Finlay, Dreamer: The Musical Legacy behind Cheatham Street Warehouse'', was published on February 3, 2016, by Texas A&M University Press


Songs covered by other artists

Over the course of his career, Snider has written and cowritten a large number of songs which were covered by other artists.


1990s

His first cut was by Rick Trevino who recorded Snider's "She Just Left Me Lounge" for his 1994 eponymous release. Then the following year,
Mark Chesnutt Mark Nelson Chesnutt (born September 6, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of ei ...
covered "Trouble" for his album ''
Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...
''.
Terry McMillan Terry McMillan (born October 18, 1951) is an American novelist known for her vivid portrayals of African American women's lives, relationships, and journeys of self-discovery. Her best-selling works, including ''Waiting to Exhale'' and ''How S ...
covered "Somebody's Comin’," a spiritual number which Snider cowrote with Mark Marchetti and Shannon Hills, on his 1997 release ''Somebody's Comin’ ''. Subsequently, that song was covered by numerous artists, including
Russ Taff Russell Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California. He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contempo ...
on his 1999 album, ''Right Here Right Now''. In 1997,
Jack Ingram Jack Owen Ingram (born November 15, 1970) is an American country music artist formerly signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, and 19 singles. Alt ...
recorded "Airways Motel," for the album '' Livin' or Dyin''', the first of several songs he would cowrite with Snider. Two years later, Ingram recorded a pair of songs they cowrote, "Feel Like I'm Falling In Love" and "Barbie Doll," for 1999's ''Hey You''. Snider and
Jason Ringenberg Jason Ringenberg (born November 22, 1958) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist and the lead singer of Jason & the Scorchers. The band had several hits, including "Golden Ball and Chain" and a rock version of Bob Dylan's " ...
cowrote "This Town Isn't Keeping You Down," which appeared on Jason & The Scorchers' 1998 release, ''Midnight Roads & Stages Seen''.


2000s

Snider and BR-549's Gary Bennett cowrote "Better Than This," which appeared on BR-549's 2000 live album, ''Coast to Coast Live''.
Charlie Robison Charles Fitzgerald Robison (September 1, 1964 – September 10, 2023) was an American country music singer-songwriter. Career After a knee injury at Southwest Texas State University ended a potential football career, Charlie Robison came to ...
recorded the Snider-Ingram cowrite “Barbie Doll" for the 2000 album ''Unleashed Live''. Both
Gary Allan Gary Allan Herzberg (born December 5, 1967) is an American country music singer. Signed to Decca Records in 1996, he made his country music debut with the release of his single "Her Man (song), Her Man", the lead-off to his gold album, gold-cer ...
and
Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He also wrote t ...
covered Snider's "Alright Guy" in 2001. Allan's recording of the song appeared on his album of the same name, while Walker's version appeared on his album ''Gonzo Stew''. Snider collaborated with Jason Ringenberg again on "James Dean's Car," which appeared on Ringenberg's 2002 solo album, ''All Over Creation''. Billy Joe Shaver recorded two songs he and Snider cowrote: "Deja Blues," which was included on his 2002 album, ''Freedom's Child'', and "The Real Deal," which appeared on his 2005 record of the same name.
Cross Canadian Ragweed Cross Canadian Ragweed is an American country and rock band formed in Yukon, Oklahoma in 1994. The original members of the band is how the name was formed. Cross- Grady Cross, Canadian- Cody Canada, Rag- Randy Ragsdale, Weed- Matt Wiedemann. The ...
has covered two of Snider's songs: "Late Last Night" on their 2005 album '' Garage'' and "I Believe You" on 2007's '' Mission California''. Keith Sykes, one of Snider's early mentors, recorded a song they cowrote "Tearing the House Down," and released it on his 2006 album, ''Let It Roll''. Snider's former Nervous Wrecks bandmate
Will Kimbrough William Adams Kimbrough (born May 1, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Biography Kimbrough was born in Mobile, Alabama. He started his musical career as a fo ...
has recorded several songs he and Snider cowrote. Two of their collaborations, "I Want Out" and "Cape Henry," were included on Kimbrough's 2006 compilation, ''Godsend (Unreleased Songs, 1994-2002)''. He recorded two others, "Horseshoe Lake" and "Half a Man," for his 2007 EP ''Will Kimbrough''.
Jack Ingram Jack Owen Ingram (born November 15, 1970) is an American country music artist formerly signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, and 19 singles. Alt ...
recorded ”Easy as 1, 2, 3 (Part II)," another of his collaborations with Snider, for his 2007 album. '' This Is It'', T. Graham Brown covered ''Somebody's Comin’ '' for his 2008 release, ''From A Stronger Place''.


2010s

Snider cowrote half an album of songs with Jason D. Williams, a vocalist and pianist from Memphis for Williams’ 2010 album ''Killer Instincts'', which Snider produced. Some of those songs had additional cowriters including Dan Baird and Bobby Bare Jr. Will Kimbrough included another of his cowrites with Snider, "It Ain’t Cool," on his 2010 release ''Wings''. Willie Braun's band Reckless Kelly recorded a song he cowrote with Snider, "I Never Liked St. Valentine," which appeared on his 2011 album ''Good Luck & True Love''. Texas music legends,
Robert Earl Keen Robert Earl Keen (born January 11, 1956) is an American country singer and songwriter from Houston, Texas. Early life and education Keen was born and grew up in Houston, Texas. As a teenager, he was an avid reader who excelled in writing an ...
and
Pat Green Patrick Craven Green (born April 5, 1972) is an American country artist. Active since 1995, he has recorded a total of seven studio albums, including three for Republic Records and two for BNA Records, BNA. Fifteen of his singles have charted on ...
have recorded Snider's songs. Keen covered "Play a Train Song" on his 2011 album ''Ready For Confetti''. Green covered "I Am Too," which was written by Snider and Kimbrough, on his 2012 release ''Songs We Wish We'd Written II''. ''Somebody's Comin’ '' has been a favorite among
Christian artists Christian art is sacred art which uses subjects, themes, and imagery from Christianity. Most Christian groups use or have used art to some extent, including early Christian art and architecture and Christian media. Images of Jesus and narrative ...
, and gospel legends Bill and Gloria Gaither covered the song on their 2011 record, ''Alaskan Homecoming''. Dash Rip Rock covered the Snider-Shaver cowrite "The Real Deal (as "Real Deal") on 2013's ''Dash Does Shaver''. Country legend
Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...
recorded a song she cowrote with Snider, "Everything It Takes," for her 2016 album '' Full Circle''. In the same year, a song Snider cowrote with singer-songwriter
Elizabeth Cook Elizabeth Cook (born July 18, 1972) is an American country music singer and radio host. She has made over 400 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry since her debut on March 17, 2000, despite not being a member. Cook, "the daughter of a hillbilly s ...
and Dexter Green, "Cutting Diamonds," was released on Cook's ''Exodus of Venus'' album. Jack Ingram released a pair of songs he wrote with Snider, "Alright Alright Alright" and "Everybody Wants To Be Somebody" (also cowritten with Jon Randall Stewart), on 2019's ''Ridin’ High...Again''.


2020s

In 2021,
Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
released an eclectic cover of Snider's "Talking Reality Television Blues" on his 2021 album '' Surrounded By Time''. In 2022,
Corb Lund Corb Lund (born January 29, 1969) is a Canadian country and western singer-songwriter from Taber, Alberta, Canada. He has released twelve albums, three of which are certified gold. Lund tours regularly in Canada, the United States and Australia, ...
released a cover of Snider's "Age Like Wine" on his 2022 album "Songs My Friends Wrote".


Honors and awards

After the success of ''The Devil You Know'' in 2006, Snider was nominated for Artist of the Year at the sixth annual Americana Honors & Awards in 2007. The nominees in the category included
Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayl Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, ''Ramblin' on My Mind (Lucinda Williams album), Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (198 ...
,
Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patricia She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ...
, and
Joe Ely Joe Ely (; born February 9, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was "one of the main movers" of Austin, Texas' progressive country scene in the 1970s and '80s. He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce ...
. Hard Working Americans was nominated for an award in the Best Duo/Group category at the Americana Honors & Awards in 2014. On October 9, 2021, Snider was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Aladdin Theater in
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
.


Discography


Albums


DVDs

*''The Devil You Know'' (2007)


Singles


Music videos


Publications


References


External links

*
Interview
on AmericanaRoots.com
Interview June 2009 on NPR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snider, Todd 1966 births American agnostics American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters American folk singers Singers from Portland, Oregon Living people Singer-songwriters from Oregon Hard Working Americans members Thirty Tigers artists MCA Records artists