# Is anyone familiar with the singer Eva Cassidy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2016, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425 "2016-02-18T06:44:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/1 "2016-02-18T06:44:44Z")
I have a high school reunion coming up and one of my classmates used to perform with her–which got me thinking about her. For those of you who are unfamiliar, she had some number 1 songs in the UK, although being an American. Unfortunately, this fame came after she passed away of cancer. From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Cassidy): > [@](#): > > Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American vocalist and guitarist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country, rock 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 the 1996 live solo album titled Live at Blues Alley. Although she had been honored by the Washington Area Music Association, she was virtually unknown outside her native Washington, D.C., when she died of melanoma in 1996. > > Two years later, Cassidy’s music was brought to the attention of British audiences when her versions of “Fields of Gold” and “Over the Rainbow” were played by Mike Harding and Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2. Following the overwhelming response, a camcorder recording of “Over the Rainbow”, taken at Blues Alley in Washington by her friend Bryan McCulley, was shown on BBC Two’s Top of the Pops 2. Shortly afterwards, the compilation album Songbird climbed to the top of the UK Albums Charts, almost three years after its initial release. The chart success in the United Kingdom and Ireland led to increased recognition worldwide; her posthumously released recordings, including three UK number 1 records, have sold more than ten million copies.[1] Her music has also charted top 10 positions in Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland.[2] Her voice was amazing. I don’t know much about singing, but it seems a rare combination of emotional depth and technical skill. Check out _[Fields of Gold](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UVjjcOUJLE)_ and _[Over the Rainbow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rd8VktT8xY)_ just to start you off. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/2 "2016-02-18T06:50:36Z")
Also: [The Eva Cassidy Story - on ABC Nightline](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXU219b3Zdw) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/3 "2016-02-18T08:37:42Z")
One of her songs, “Songbird,” was in \*Love Actually. \* ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/4 "2016-02-18T11:27:42Z")
Do a search on the SDMB and you’ll see that I’ve talked about her many times. The first time I mentioned her here was in 2002. I’ve been a fan of hers since 2001. I’ve bought all her albums and the two biographies of her. I regularly check YouTube to see who’s recently covered her interpretations of the songs she sang (although she did very few original songs). Here’s a website that’s been going since 1999 run by one of her cousins: [http://evacassidy.org/](http://evacassidy.org/) Although she isn’t nearly among the top-selling artists of all times, since she’s only sold something on the order of 10 million albums, far from the record of 600 million or so albums, she must have the largest group of devoted fans for someone who’s only sold a modestly large number of albums. There are quite a few well known singers who think she’s great. A lot of singers at various TV talent shows around the world sing “her songs” on the shows and talk about how they’ve been inspired by her. (I put “her songs” in quotation marks because of course she didn’t originally do them, since she did few original songs, but her fans consider her interpretations to be the definitive versions of those songs.) Many other fans cover her interpretations on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/5 "2016-02-18T12:37:02Z")
She had a beautiful voice and a knack for interpreting songs. I didn’t think there could be a more beautiful version of Songbird than Christine McVie’s, but Eva Cassidy changed my mind. It seems like every song she did surpassed all previous versions. I didn’t find out about her until after her death, and I was amazed at how sad I was when, after hearing a few songs, I looked her up on Wikipedia and discovered that she had died. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/6 "2016-02-18T12:44:19Z")
Huge talent. Live At Blues Alley is my favorite album. It’s mostly jazz and folk standards, not blues as the album title would suggest. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/7 "2016-02-18T14:52:30Z")
Who’s your classmate who performed with her? ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/8 "2016-02-18T15:26:03Z")
Yes !!! Just recently learned of her through my girlfriend. “Live at Blues Alley” is an amazing CD (double). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/9 "2016-02-18T20:24:20Z")
I have one of her CDs, given to me by my sister, who likes her very much. I like Cassidy’s singing but can’t say I’m a huge fan. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/10 "2016-02-18T20:49:39Z")
I bought the _Songbird_ CD after hearing a track on an audio stream from Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/11 "2016-02-18T21:23:24Z")
My favorite performer. [Time After Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWvPOJOYqGA) brings me to tears. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/12 "2016-02-18T23:05:02Z")
She’s in heavy rotation on my systems. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/13 "2016-02-19T01:02:46Z")
Love her. Only got turned on to her by a coworker a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/14 "2016-02-19T01:08:08Z")
I’m as familiar as one can be, given her very limited library. If I could resurrect two relatively obscure singers who died way too early, I’d resurrect her and Israel Kamakawiwo`ole, both who are ironically known for their fresh takes on “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” (Though my favorite Iz song is “Hawaii '78” which still gives me goosebumps.) ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/15 "2016-02-19T01:25:26Z")
[Cheek To Cheek from Live At Blues Alley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1sSiGMYrx8) One of my favorite EC cuts. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/16 "2016-02-19T02:43:22Z")
Her library isn’t that limited. I haven’t counted to figure out how many songs are available by her. It’s dozens of them anyway. There are more recordings not yet released: [http://evacassidy.org/eva-cassidy-albums/](http://evacassidy.org/eva-cassidy-albums/) > **[Eva Cassidy | Unofficial releases](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Cassidy#Unofficial_releases)** > > A collection of previously unreleased studio recordings from 1987 to 1991, was released in 2000 as No Boundaries. This release was not endorsed by the Cassidy family and was released under a different label. An AllMusic review of the album stated that even "a gifted vocalist like Eva Cassidy can only do so much with bad material". > In 2002, the self-titled 1988 album by the band Method Actor, which featured Cassidy, was re-released by the band's guitarist and producer David Lourim with Cassidy's ... ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/17 "2016-02-19T03:37:36Z")
If they ain’t released, they ain’t available! ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/18 "2016-02-19T04:52:33Z")
I’ve got songs from 12 of her albums on my puter. Some are repeats as I’ve got the HD capacity so I haven’t culled them down. She was great. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/19 "2016-02-19T10:32:53Z")
I didn’t say the unreleased ones are available. I said that there are lots of her songs that have been released (and hence available), and beyond that there are others that haven’t been released (and hence unavailable at the moment). If someone would like to count, they could tell us how many her songs are currently available. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425/20 "2016-02-19T19:02:37Z")
If you haven’t read it, check out [When Chuck Met Eva](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/music/features/1browncassidy0309.htm). Washington Post article from the late nineties, shortly after her death, which does a good job portraying the kind of person she was. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-singer-eva-cassidy/746425.md?page=2)