Prior to her heartbreaking death at only 33 from melanoma in 1996 Eva Cassidy was the toast of the Washington DC club scene. Beyond that enclave, she remained a relative unknown.
A gifted vocalist with a knack for re-inventing any song as her own, Cassidy possessed a God-given ability to touch one’s soul.
Perhaps her diffident personality and her reluctance to embrace fame was a career impediment; still her manager’s 10-year campaign to land a national recording contract proved fruitless. The Industry mandates categorization, and Eva rebuffed all efforts to confine her to some marketable cubbyhole. For her, it boiled down to the music she loved, and that encompassed all genres.
The ascent toward posthumous recognition started with “Songbird”, a compilation of several tracks.
It got some airplay in America, cast its spell upon thousands of listeners; but in Britain, freedom from structured playlists ensured way more airplay for this eclectic release. “Songbird” began selling in numbers associated with names like Madonna and the Beatles, eventually reaching #1 on the U.K. charts in 2001.
A feature on television’s Nightline show provided further national exposure. The response was immediate: the very next day, 5
A gifted vocalist with a knack for re-
Perhaps her diffident personality and her reluctance to embrace fame was a career impediment; still her manager’s 10-
The ascent toward posthumous recognition started with “Songbird”, a compilation of several tracks.
It got some airplay in America, cast its spell upon thousands of listeners; but in Britain, freedom from structured playlists ensured way more airplay for this eclectic release. “Songbird” began selling in numbers associated with names like Madonna and the Beatles, eventually reaching #1 on the U.K. charts in 2001.
A feature on television’s Nightline show provided further national exposure. The response was immediate: the very next day, 5
of Cassidy’s albums became Amazon top sellers.
Today, the Cassidy cult has an international reach, constantly irrigated by word-of-mouth plaudits and devotional websites. There are so many wonderful releases to
Today, the Cassidy cult has an international reach, constantly irrigated by word-
EVA CASSIDY
