Kansas City Playlist: Tribute To Leigh Ann

The past few weeks have been a complete bummer in Kansas City and tonight the news doesn't seem to be getting any better. 

Still . . . 

We can only take solace in celebrating the life of one of THE VERY FINEST DENIZENS OF OUR TKC BLOG COMMUNITY.

Longtime readers know her and some might already have heard that TKC denizen, colleague and beloved reader Leigh Ann Little recently passed.

From her obituary, here's a glimpse at her life and work . . .

"She went on to write and compile historical books with stories about the towns she grew up in; and the trial of the son of the alleged train bandit Jesse E. James Jr. 

Leigh Ann was a published author, ran the news outlet Independence Gazette (formerly known as Inter-City News) and wrote four books as well as several online blogs. She was an avid web designer, protest organizer and political consultant. Leigh Ann was a proud, devoted mother and homeschooled her children. She was also a devout Judeo-Christian and loved being a servant of God."

 For the most generous of www.TonysKansasCity.com readers . . . 

Check the Go Fund Me for her funeral expenses that looks 100% legit to us. 

We were shocked by this passing for a lot of reasons and after having a moment to think about it here's what we want to share . . . 

We never got a chance to meet Leigh Ann . . . We exchanged more than a few e-mails regarding local issues over the years and her kindness and grace was obvious . . . In the end, Leigh Ann served to remind us of so many truly generous and wonderful people in the Kansas City metro who tirelessly contribute to the discourse with very little thought of their own gain.

Leigh Ann was one of the greatest reasons we remain constantly inspired by the online discourse. She was extremely smart, classy and even better . . . From our vantage, Leigh Ann proved to be a compassionate soul with an exceptional understanding of how life, this town and the world can weigh upon even the best of intentions.

Of course she deserves so much more but tonight we take a moment of pause and share this playlist in her honor . . .

The challenge here is to not give into sentimentality too much . . . R.E.M's Man in the Moon is a reflective track about loss but not overly dramatic and it's kinda what we're going for . . .

This is one of our favorite 90s hop-hop tracks . . . Pete Rock & CL Smooth - They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) is a magnificent tune about loss and real life with a bit of hope thrown in for good measure.

Spirit In The Sky by Norman Greenbaum was a 1960s classic that still holds up and serves as an American rock music standard.

Coldplay doesn't have many great songs but Viva La Vida fits so many occasions inspires us to think of important moments that sometimes take a moment to resister as significant.

Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House was an anthem of the 1980s and seems like an appropriate place to conclude this playlist tribute to one of our faves.

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun Saturday night. 

R.I.P. Leigh Ann.