East Nashville troubadour Todd Snider (l) with musician Steve Poltz.Steve Poltz/Supplied
I go way back with East Nashville troubadour Todd Snider, who died Nov. 14. One of my fondest memories comes from the 1990s, when his band, the Nervous Wrecks, were doing some dates with my band, the Rugburns. We played wiffle ball inside a club in Indianapolis in the middle of the day. I remember thinking, “You can do this? Play wiffle ball inside a club during soundcheck.”
Singer-songwriter Will Kimbrough was smiling the whole time as he pitched to me. He played lead guitar in the Nervous Wrecks and threw a mean curveball. Todd was the instigator and the merrymaker.
A month or two later I ran into Todd at a festival somewhere in the Midwest and we painted each other’s toenails. That was another moment where I remember thinking, “You can paint another musician’s toenails?” That was Todd.
He was one of the best to ever do it in this troubadour racket. We were just reminiscing about all kinds of stuff backstage at the Ryman Auditorium. We were even making plans for a tour with a bunch of troubadours – combining forces and conquering the planet.
We really lost one of the greatest. I just can’t imagine a world without Todd. I just want to play wiffle ball in a dark club in the middle of the day. Maybe paint Todd’s toenails. Steve Poltz, Nashville musician
To submit a memory about someone we have recently profiled on the Obituaries page, e-mail us at obit@globeandmail.com.