on September 16, 2017, my best and longest-lived friendship changed dramatically when Shannon Marie Smith (1977-2017) died suddenly in her home, no definitive cause known, having recently reached her forty-first year. I remember recording a couple of episodes of Come by the Hills in the days and weeks following her death, including one which I recorded mere hours after hearing the news for the first time. I don't think that any of those shows did her justice, so I have decided, upon the occasion of the first anniversary of her death, to devote an entire episode of Mushroom FM's Premier Celtic Music Show to music that she liked and introduced me to, and to music that I think she would have liked. I'll also be sharing memories of my friend and reflecting upon the nature of friendship, and generally having a lovely time remembering this witty, whimsical, curious, opinionated, funny, optimistic and generally lovely person whom I have had the singular honour and privilege to know for so many years. Shannon's tastes went a long way to shaping the kind of show that you have come to expect from me over the past few years, so it's fitting that I honour her the only way I know how, with music and memories.
Catch Come by the Hills on Sunday night at 8:00 PM Eastern right after Steve Cutway and The Early Years, or check out the replay on Friday morning at 4:00 AM Eastern, 9:00 AM in the UK and Ireland. Also, check out our growing archive of episodes at: http://www.mushroomfm.com/sarahillis. Enjoy!
May Shannon's memory be eternal!