The songwriter community can be vast and local at the same time.  The late Todd Snider was an example of this.   Sadly, we lost Todd on November 14th and his death touched so many that perhaps even he would be in shock Even though I never met him, I had friends and aquantances who sung his praises and made me feel like I had. I've often heard stories of him getting a start at “The Daily Planet” in Memphis and playing Keith Sykes Songwriter Nights on Beale Street.  Though Keith covers more in his book, “A Very Short Time” than the two pages specifically dedicated to him, the title of chapter 125 is simply “Todd” and he talks about a rekindling of spirits after several years apart.  Get a copy of the book, it's steeped in Memphis musical history and much more.

Off subject for a minute, but this brings me to how we often refer to our musical heroes by a single name…more on that next time.

 I particularly like this quote from a November 15, 2025 article in Rolling Stone:

 “I’ve always been into being a troubadour. I love the chaos, that life of adventure — that’s what struck me. I had a predisposition for it,” Snider told Rolling Stone in 2023. “I was a hitchhiker and sofa circuit person. Jerry Jeff made me see that the difference between a free spirit and a freeloader is three chords on the guitar.”

Make sure to click into the link to read the entire story.  Oh, and come visit another one of our local “one name” legends Saturday Night at South Main Sounds.  Tickets to see Van Duren With Special Guest Sophie Chertow are available right here on the website under “shows.”