“Shannon’s Song: She Is Alive”

Having marvelled at the beauty of her images for years, admirers of Barbara Brickner have long wondered what her voice might sound like. Could it possibly match the loveliness of her photos? This question was particularly intriguing because, as many fans were well aware, Mrs. Brickner’s childhood dream was to become a country singer.

In fact, Barbara possesses the voice of an angel—as everyone will discover when they listen to her new recording, titled “Shannon’s Song: She Is Alive.”

Mrs. Brickner wrote both the words and the lyrics to this song as a tribute to her friend, Shannon Boone Potter, who passed away at age 33 from breast cancer. As Barbara herself describes it, the song “was recorded only days after Shannon’s passing, so it was a very RAW taping.” Barbara further notes that the song “was done in two takes, and with a lot of crying going on!” and refers to the recording as “not my best ‘performance’ by far, but it is straight from the heart—wobbly voice and all.”

In our opinion, Barbara is being far too modest. The song is a deeply moving and thoughtful meditation on human mortality, and on how one copes with the departure of a loved one. And the performance is powerful and heart-rending, confirming the belief that the most profound sadness gives birth to the greatest beauty.

Barbara would like to convey her gratitude to her “extremely gifted” friend, Todd Babbitt, who performs the guitar in the recording, as well as to Lynn Pratt, who sings the backup vocals at the end of the song, and to Marc at Buckley Recording Studio, where the song was taped. Barbara refers to them as “a wonderful, supportive team of individuals to help me choke my way through that song.”

And we would like to offer our sincerest thanks to Mrs. Brickner herself, for allowing us to share her touching tribute with the world.