Phoebe Snow's visit to Sunday Breakfast

In mid March Phoebe Snow’s 31-year-old daughter, Valerie, died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Losing a child has to be the worst nightmare of any parent, but it was particularly devastating for Phoebe, who often put her career on the back burner to care for Valerie, severely impaired all her life.

A couple of weeks ago Phoebe called me to ask if she could come on the City Folk Sunday Breakfast to play some selections in memory of Valerie. Sensing that it would be a catharsis for her, of course I said yes. So we sat together in the studio, as she explained why the songs she chose reminded her of Valerie: “When You Say Nothing at All” by Alison Krauss, “Yellow” by Coldplay, “Dimming of the Day” by Richard and Linda Thompson, “Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles, “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” and “Claire de Lune” by Claude Debussy.

As you can imagine, it was a heartrending experience for both of us, but it was part of the healing process for Phoebe. And for all of us – in the studio and in the audience – it put us in touch with that vulnerable place that makes us human. The segment got more response than anything I’ve ever aired. This e-mail was typical:

“Everything about that show was breath taking. However, when she thanked you for allowing her to express her pain, love, loss and the remaining void - I was held transfixed by the total and complete integrity of that moment. Your Sunday, May 6th radio show will radiate and glow within me forever.”

I invite you to check out the show in the archives between now and May 21.
Click on Audio Archives under Listen on the home page, then choose the
May 6 City Folk Sunday Breakfast program.  

http://wfuv.venaca.com/cgi-bin/colinker.cgi?colink=100818455740758

The segment with Phoebe is the last 45 minutes of the show.

John Platt