This seasoned Americana singer-songwriter/guitar player’s 10th album taps into Southern traditions of old-time music and bluegrass. Eddie Lynn Snodderly was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee and started playing guitar when he was just 12 years old.
Since his 1977 debut album, ‘Sidewalk Shoes’, he has released LPs on Sugar Hill and other roots-oriented labels. In 2020 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Southern Region of Folk Alliance 2020 for his contributions to Southern folk music.
His ‘Shoestring Seven’ backing band are fellow journeymen who include Shawn Camp, Steve Conn, John Gardner, Steve Hinson, Gary J. Smith, Chris Scruggs and Kenny Vaughan. The album also features guest spots from singers Amythyst Kiah, Maura O’Connell, Malcolm Holcombe and Gretchen Peters.
Songs of rivers, barns and mules help chronicle story songs of Snodderly’s Appalachian roots. The Diamond Stream (“where the blue bird sings a wishful tune”) is a song built around the view from his back door.
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In a more sombre vein Gone With Gone And Long Time meditates on the stages of grief but the optimism of Walking In The Sunshine Again and the hymn to independent thinking of Before School mean that the overall mood is upbeat..
The album relies on a tried and tested methodology in lieu of innovation. The orchestration on Crow’s Fever is about as experimental as it gets. Solace and dependability are the names of the game here.
Ed Snodderly’s website
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