Todd Snider will be inducted in the Oregon Music Hall of Fame on Saturday.
It’s been a long, winding, exhilarating road for Todd Snider, who was finally afforded a much-needed break when Covid came around.
“I put out my first album in ’94 and I’ve been touring ever since until Covid hit,” said Snider, who is playing Friday night at the Hult Center in Eugene at 7:30 p.m. “So I’m calling this my second tour.”
With over 50 stops on the “Return of the Storyteller Tour” that started July 24, the highlight might be this Saturday night in Portland, when Snider – who grew up in nearby Beaverton – is inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.
“It’s going to be an exciting night,” he said. “I’ve got my mother and sister coming up from home (Nashville) and a lot of friends will be there.”
Snider will perform during the induction ceremony, along with Lifesavas, and Renata Caranto with the Louis Pain Trio.
“I grew up in Beaverton, and I left after high school,” Snider recalled. “I learned how to play the harp, then the guitar. I saw Jerry Jeff Walker play at Gruene Hall in Texas, so I copied him and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Snider said he also had the privilege of becoming friends with John Prine.
“Jerry Jeff and John were the two people I emulated,” he said. “When I met John he was making the ‘The Missing Years’ (album), and it was amazing just watching his mind at work.
“I think he got kicked in the head by a horse, and there was no gestation period – he just fell out. He’s one of a kind. There’s only so much you can learn from being around him, it’s like trying to learn from Michael Jordan.”
Each show on this tour is being recorded for Snider’s live “Comeback Special” album. Snider will take requests and interact with the audience, as he always likes to do.
“I’ll make a song up for this reason or that. Sometimes it might be a tree or something silly like that,” said Snider, who was twice named Songwriter of the Year in Memphis during the ’90s. “It’s kind of like Arlo Guthrie doing ‘Alice’s Restaurant.'”
Even though he’s been on the road constantly, Snider has been a prolific album producer, both when he was with bands and as a solo artist. He says “East Side Bulldog” – a band he formed about five years ago – is what he listens to most for pleasure.
Tickets are available at hultcenter.org.
