Eva Cassidy

Seems like high time I got to one of my ultimate favorite singers, Eva Cassidy. I believe her story is fairly well known and has been told many times and in many places by people far more able than me, but I'll touch on some of the important aspects of her story and refer the reader to other locations if more info is desired. Eva spent her entire life in the Washington, D. C. area and really only received the kind of local notice you expect of someone with her talent in the latter years of her short life. Eva died from metastatic melanoma at the age of 36. During her lifetime she never received national or world wide notice which probably suited her fine since she was extremely shy. She finally landed a record deal just before her passing, record executives having previously recognised her talent, but being put off by her eclecticism. Her compilation album, "Songbird" went platinum in the U. K. after her rendition of "Over the Rainbow" got air play on the BBC. Her subsequent releases have all sold well across the pond, but her popularity in the U. S. has been a slow process. Many people think a movie based on her life which has been talked about for a number of years will be the catalyst to really launch her to the top of the charts on this side of the pond. I'm here to let you folks in on great artists that don't receive the attention they deserve, so here's  a secret to chew on: Eva Cassidy is very possibly the greatest interpreter of popular vocal music in the last century! A bold statement indeed, but I'm sticking by it. Perhaps the best evidence is her latest album recently released by Blix Street Records, "Simply Eva", which as the title suggests is an album featuring Eva's vocals with minimal backing. In this case the accompaniment is supplied by Eva herself playing solo guitar, providing ample evidence of her outstanding talent as a guitarist. This album features the Blues Alley version of "Over the Rainbow" which I find beautiful beyond description! The audio in the attached vid is the same recording. Being a lover of vocals over accompaniment I rate "Simply Eva" as my personal favorite of the 8 albums Blix has released and give it a hearty recommendation!

Probably the best source for all things Eva is this website run by Eva's cousin, Laura Bligh: http://evacassidy.org/eva/

To Eva:

You left in autumn
The leaves were falling.
I see your sweet smile
I hear your laughter.
The joy you give me lives on and on,
Cause I know YOU by heart!