Nashville comes to Norfolk

NORFOLK — Ed Snodderly, renowned musician and songwriter from East Tennessee, entertained a full house at the Norfolk Library on Saturday, April 2. 

“It’s good to be back here in Norfolk,” said Snodderly, who played in the library years ago as part of a duo. “This is a great place to play, among the imagination and the facts. I took the long way here, saw some good country.”

In the 1990s, Snodderly was part of the critically-acclaimed duo “The Brother Boys,” with Eugene Wolf. 

Snodderly is also an actor. He appeared in the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

 “I think he shadowed the acting of George Clooney with his fiddling as the village idiot,” said Eileen Fitzgibbons of the Norfolk Library, introducing him. Some of Snodderly’s song lyrics are even inscribed in the Hall Of Honor in the Country Music Hall Of Fame.

His music, which has been recorded by artists such as Missy Raines, John Cowan, Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas, is hard to pin down. Certainly, it has Southern roots in bluegrass and country, but with a singer-songwriter feel. 

“It’s a little bit of all of those,” said Snodderly. “Touches of old time. But just as much, it feels like rock and roll to me, kind of my own blend of rock and roll.” 

Snodderly played a range of these songs Saturday night, interspersed with an entertaining blend of half-sung, half-spoken storytelling. While strumming his 1937 guitar, he launched into stories of learning to play chords on the guitar and growing up in Tennessee. These stories, delivered in rhythm to his playing, morphed into dramatic introductions to his songs, hard to distinguish from the songs themselves.

Snodderly told the audience that he began playing guitar at 12 years old, at his mother’s suggestion. His grandfather, a farmer and an old-time fiddler, had a guitar up in the attic, which he had bought to play at square dances, helping him with the ladies.

Snodderly’s humor delighted the audience. “Just keep on talking like you’re talking,” he told them, referring to everyone’s Northern accents. He frequently asked people if they were doing OK, which became a joke. At the end, he had the audience join in on some lines, and also asked for requests. 

“Country Roads,” someone shouted, and Snodderly eagerly launched into the song. “You know the words?” he asked, a moment later. Similarly, he played a few rounds of “Folsom Prison Blues,” while the audience helped out. “We conjured up some good songs there,” he said.

Eight people had joined Snodderly for a free songwriting workshop earlier that day. 

“We worked on some songs, and I think they enjoyed it,” he said. “We touched on some good stuff. I think we stirred things up.” 

Snodderly is also co-owner of one of the country’s longest running music venues, The Down Home in Johnson City, Tenn. “If you ever make it down that way, come see us,” he said.