Shelby Kelley Records “Raggedy Man” — An Ode to Todd Snider
Some songs aren’t written to chase a moment. They’re written because a moment hit first.
“Raggedy Man,” a new track from Indianapolis singer-songwriter Shelby Kelley, is exactly that kind of song: a plainspoken tribute to Todd Snider—an artist whose influence Kelley has openly credited as foundational to his own voice as a performer and writer. Shelby Kelley+1
Kelley released “Raggedy Man” on December 25, 2025, framing it directly as “A tribute to Todd Snider.” Shelby Kelley The timing and the tone land like an offering: not a grand imitation, not a copy of Snider’s mannerisms, but an acknowledgement of what Snider represented—craft, candor, and the permission to be funny and wounded in the same breath.
A debt paid the only way a songwriter can
Todd Snider’s songwriting was never about polish. It was about truth with a grin, the ability to lay out a human mess without pretending it was tidy. That approach shaped a lot of working songwriters—especially the ones who learned that “story” is not a gimmick, it’s a method.
Kelley’s own public note on the song is blunt and personal: he wrote it down shortly after learning of Snider’s passing, wanting to say something about the influence Todd had on him. Facebook+1
Recorded like a band, delivered like a confession
Part of what makes “Raggedy Man” work is that it doesn’t overproduce the sentiment. The credits show a small, human-sized collaboration: recorded by Hunter Kelley, with additional recording by Isaac Carter, and instrumentation that stays rooted in acoustic songwriter territory—vocals/acoustic guitar (Shelby Kelley), organ (Hunter Kelley), mandolin (John Bowyer). Shelby Kelley
That palette matters. It keeps the song aligned with what it’s trying to do: not “be Todd,” but speak in a language Todd helped make feel legitimate—direct, unpretentious, and unafraid of tenderness.
Respect, not reenactment
Tribute songs can fail when they turn into costume. “Raggedy Man” avoids that trap by aiming at something harder: gratitude without worship, grief without theatrics, influence without mimicry.
Kelley’s own artist bio points to a consistent center—happiest with “just me and an acoustic guitar” and songs about “life and love and all things in between.” MOKB Presents “Raggedy Man” fits right into that lane, except here the “all things in between” includes lineage: one songwriter tipping his hat to another, in public, with a song that’s meant to stand on its own.
