Eva Cassidy

[winston]

From Wikipedia:

Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996. Although she had been honored by the Washington Area Music Association, she was virtually unknown outside her native Washington, DC when she died of melanoma in 1996.

If you have never heard this lady sing you are in for a treat. She was truly one of the great unknowns.

For you and may you help the angels sing Eva.

[sloop_john_b]

Eva was a really gifted singer. My girlfriend is a huge fan - her and I performed Eva's version of "Autumn Leaves" for a recital.

[admin]

Outstanding.

[longhouse]

Eva's voice belongs in Heaven. She has never failed to amaze me. Like a modern Sinatra, once she did a song its meaning and 'what it's supposed to sound like' were written in stone.

Love her versions of 'Over the Rainbow' and 'Fields of Gold'.

[admin]

I like each of the selections posted here, but I especially like Stormy Monday.

[wj350]

Truly the voice of an angel. I'd not heard of her until I moved to MD a few years back.

Bill

[peewee]

Surprisingly, most of the folks that even knew anything about her were the other musicians here in town. Among the masses, she was virtually unknown and spent most of her time working at the Benkhe Nursery and Garden Center in Bowie, MD. Among her peers, she was highly regarded and loved by many. I remember when I'd heard the news that she was ill -- it was devastating to the music community. Then when we'd learned that she'd lost her battle, it was numbing; it's hard to believe that in a few short weeks from now she will have been gone for 13 years. I recall being in a local music shop when a woman came in about 9 months after Eva passed, looking for her last CD. This woman asked the clerk about this "wonderful new singer that she'd heard and just HAD to have her CD." Hearing this, I turned to her and said, "Where were you when she really could have used your support? That's the problem with D.C. -- everyone jumps on the bandwagon after it's too late. She couldn't get arrested when she was here but now, everyone is a fan".

Sorry if I offended anyone with that last remark, but that's exactly how it is in this town and one of the reasons why the once storied and vibrant music scene in Washington has been dying a slow, pitiful death for the last 20 years. RIP, Eva..... you are very missed.

[winston]

Mike I understand your frustration to large degree.

Eva should have been a huge star IMO. You really need groundswell support from your home town to begin the journey to stardom. Eva deserved to receive national and international accolades for her body of work and she did not get it whilst she was alive. I suspect poor promotion/management may have been her undoing. It was certainly not because of lack of talent.

Her voice was so pure and haunting. I can only describe it as angelic. Obviously I am a big fan and like you, I believe she is sorely missed by those few of us who had heard and liked her music.

[bitzerguy]

Big fan here. I particularly love her version of this song. Best recorded version of Time After Time IMO. Still evokes an emotional response from me, after many, many listens.

[FretlessOnly]

Sorry to be late to this thread, but I got turned on to Eva from a "Nightline" story about 6-8 years ago, which I think was a re-run of a story done shortly after she left us. I picked up one or two of her CDs at the time, and they are very, very good. Fantastic voice, although the music is, at times, just a bit pedantic, given her lack of professional exposure (don't take that the wrong way; but the instrumentation on "Over the Rainbow," which would make any truck driver cry, is rather unsophisticated). She could have been huge, but as it is, she had to settle for just being fantastic and obscure. More than most of us could hope for. But maybe that was for the best, as she was painfully shy, and the brightest lights may not have been her idea of success.

If you are interested, her official website is here:

http://www.evacassidy.com/main.htm

I bought my wife (and me, yes) several CDs from this site, along with the book Songbird that was signed by both of her parents. I also corresponded with her sister via e-mail during these purchases, and they are a wonderful bunch of people who love and respect who their daughter/sister was, and what she meant. The materials are fairly-priced, and packed very well.

No affiliation here; just a great website, and access to some excellent CDs from a talent that burned brightly for too short of a time.