The Eva Cassidy Story Continues ~ New CD "Somewhere" to be Released 8/26/08

Once upon a time, somewhere in the rolling countryside of Maryland, there lived a beautiful and talented little girl named Eva Cassidy.   By the age of three, it was clear Eva had a natural gift for art, as her drawings were remarkably different from those of most young children. Eva's outstanding musical abilities also emerged early. Her father began teaching her guitar at age nine and recalls Eva singing solo with her guitar by age ten. 

Eva grew up to be a phenomenal American vocalist, arranger and guitarist who could and did sing a bit of everything; folk, blues, country, rock, r&b, standards, gospel and jazz.

Over the years, Eva's art and music blossomed and greatly expanded. As an artist, Eva dabbled in a bit of everything; drawing, painting, cartooning, pottery and beadwork to name a few. As a musician, Eva played with a variety of people and bands but her musical talents and tastes were so broad, she befuddled the record companies who simply did not know how to market her. Several major record labels showed an interest in her, but by her early 30's, none had signed her.  One of the fascinating dichotomies of Eva's personality was that her ambition did not match the size of her talent.  Eva was quite content with a small following; the smaller and more intimate the audience, the better -- to her way of thinking.

However, at the urging of her long-time friend and producer, Chris Biondo, Eva spent the money to record a live performance at Blues Alley in January 1996. Songs from this live performance can be seen on You Tube.  Here's a link to Eva's signature song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUwTdqPkluY&feature=related .   Every song she sang at that performance is incredibly beautiful, but Eva was not at all pleased with her delivery because of a cold she was suffering that night. Although terribly unhappy with the result of those recordings and at first refusing to have the album released, Eva finally relented and the album received great reviews in the Washington, D.C. area. The album and the actual video from that night are a national treasure.

Six months after Eva's live performance at Blues Alley, she began experiencing hip pain which she initially dismissed, thinking it was a result of being on a ladder while painting murals. In July of 1996, Eva was diagnosed with cancer and given the prognosis of having only three months to live. In September, Eva attended a party thrown in her honor at The Bayou. At the party, Eva sang what was to be her last song in public. She choose "What a Wonderful World". There reportedly was not a dry eye in the place.

On November 2, 1996 Eva Marie Cassidy passed away in her parent's home surrounded by friends and loved ones.

Four years later, Eva's music was "discovered" in Britain. Posthumously released CDs have gone Gold and Platinum. "Somewhere, Over the Rainbow" was selected by the BBC in the UK for their "Songs of the Century" album in the year 1999.  While Eva is widely known in the UK, she is still relatively unknown in the United States. It is my hope that someday soon Eva Cassidy will be well known in her own country and that millions of people will enjoy her huge talent.

One of my favorite quotes about Eva, was made by Bruce Lundvall, President of Blue Note Records. Of Eva he said:

"She was a real artist, one of the great ones. She had the magic -- the thing that goes beyond being a really wonderful, creative artist. She had the touch of God on her head -- that touch of individuality and spirituality that made her stand out above all the others. She had that...

"Herbie Hancock said it best to me. He said: 'You know there are good musicians in every field of music and there are some that are great, really great, but then there are those few who have that magic, that other dimension, that must come from God', and that's how I feel about Eva."

To which I say, "Amen".

The latest news in the Eva Cassidy story is that a new CD, titled "Somewhere" will be released on August 26, 2008 by Blix Street Records.  The new album will have twelve new previously un-released songs from the Eva Cassidy archives.  The CD includes two original songs co-authored by Eva, including the title track "Somewhere".

I plan to pre-order this album through the Cassidy family website: http://www.evacassidy.com/ and will gleefully write a review after I've had the pleasure of hearing it.  Stayed tuned!

Photo used with permission from the Cassidy family.