Jeffrey Todd Bio Page
Overnight career direction is rarer than overnight success, and far less glamorous. Take singer/songwriter Jeffrey Todd, for instance. He’s been creating music with and without Fort Pastor (Koch Records) for many years, but his decision to make a go at being a solo artist may appear like one long-night’s- journey into day. “It’s taken me 40 years to answer God’s call,” says Todd, of what he refers to as his ‘40 year phone call.’ “I love to listen, write, and sing,” he adds. Yet it wasn’t until he was older than most aspiring musicians — who get the bug in their 20s, if not younger — that he seriously began following his dream. (Then again, Todd is a bit of a late starter). “I didn’t start playing music until I was 18 years old, until I was out of high school,” he recalls. You might say Circles I Run — Todd’s second solo release — is a long-awaited dream come true.
Appropriately, the travel log-esque title to Todd’s latest work came to him while he was behind the wheel. “It’s funny, I was driving down the road when I was working on this album and I said, ‘I need a title.’ And I just wrote, ‘Circles I Run.’ I got home, after going to Nashville for a publisher’s meeting, and I started writing this song in open G. And it ended up being about this musician, and traveling around and getting to play music for people. ‘These are the circles I run. These are the people I run with. I get to go from town to town. I get to play and sing for people. And they actually pay me money to do it sometimes! And it’s a great thing.’”
Much like David Wilcox, and other similarly accomplished musician/songwriters, listeners oftentimes notice Todd’s great instrumental skills before recognizing his equally insightful lyrics.” I feel it’s my playing that sets me apart,” says the talented acoustic guitarist. He describes his playing style as one influenced by both Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler, which comes out sounding a lot like Richard Thompson. However, the first album Todd ever purchased was by AC/DC. Yet after seeing the more acoustic-minded Billy Crockett, Todd’s musical worldview was changed forever. “It was just him on acoustic guitar, and a bass player,” Todd recalls. “It was then I knew what I wanted to do. I went out the next day and I sold my Strat and I bought an acoustic guitar. And that’s when I started my road to singer/songwriter-dom.” This eye-opening then led to an extensive immersion into Cat Stevens, James Taylor, and all the other great singer/songwriters.
The pivotal song on Todd’s heartfelt new album is titled “Cry”. With it, Todd mourns the untimely deaths of his mother and brother. “At my mom’s death, I didn’t cry,” Todd admits. “I never wept.” So its lyric, in a way, gave Todd the emotional green light to shed tears over her death – tears that haven’t stopped flowing ever since. “We laugh now – my wife and I – because I cry at everything.”
Clearly, Todd’s work touches upon the wide gamut of human emotion. There is anger at the injustice, which sometimes characterizes the music business, and there is deep sadness over the crushing loss of immediate family members. But ultimately, Todd’s release represents an instance of the ultimate expression of these emotions – sincere, gut-level songs. Todd’s simple plan is to run this race, and run his best, until there just isn’t any run left in him. “My goal is to hit the road and go at it as hard as I can, for as long as I can, until I wear out,” Todd explains. But even if he completes that imaginary circle we sometimes call the road, there will still be songs – eternal words and music that will outlive Todd long after he’s gone — flowing atop this artist’s beatific guitar playing. “Hopefully the writing side of what I do comes into play and I can start writing songs for other folks.” This is one circle that will likely remain unbroken.
