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Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 in Washington, DC – November 2, 1996 in Bowie, Maryland) was an American vocalist described by the British newspaper The Guardian as "one of the greatest voices of her generation." She had a diverse repertoire of jazz, blues, folk, gospel and pop. Cassidy remained virtually unknown outside of her native Washington, DC, when she died of melanoma in 1996. However, her posthumously released recordings have since sold in excess of four million copies, and in early 2001 the compilation album Songbird reached #1 on the UK album charts. February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Motto: Growth, Unity and Progress Location of Bowie in the State of Maryland Coordinates: Country United States State Maryland County Prince Georges County Established 1916  - Mayor G. Frederick Robinson Area    - City 41. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern that typically follows a twelve-bar structure. ... “Folk song” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ... For popular forms of music in general, see Popular music. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Songbird is a compilation album of songs by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 1998, two years after her death in 1996. ...

Biography

Eva Cassidy was the third of four children born to Hugh and Barbara Cassidy. From an early age, she displayed artistic and musical talent. When she was nine years old, her father taught her guitar, and she began to play and sing at family gatherings. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

While a student at Bowie High School, she did sing with a local band, called Stonehenge, and received considerable praise.^{[citation needed]}

At the age of eighteen, Cassidy began her professional career, singing and playing guitar in a Washington, D.C., area band, called Easy Street. This band performed in a variety of styles, at weddings, corporate parties, and smokey pubs. She worked with Easy Street on Christmas night in 1982, at a neighborhood pub in Bowie, Maryland. Motto: Growth, Unity and Progress Location of Bowie in the State of Maryland Coordinates: Country United States State Maryland County Prince Georges County Established 1916  - Mayor G. Frederick Robinson Area    - City 41. ...

During the Summer of 1983, Cassidy sang and played guitar, six days per week, at the Wild World Theme Park, in Maryland. Her brother Dan was also a member of this working band. Six Flags America, located in Largo in unincorporated Prince Georges County, Maryland, is an amusement park. ...

Throughout the 1980s, Cassidy worked with a number of other bands, including the soul and Motown-oriented band, The Honeybees, and the techno-pop band, Characters Without Names, later called Method Actor. Motown Records, Inc. ...

During this period, Cassidy also worked as a propagator at a plant nursery and as a furniture painter in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1986, she met (bassist and recording engineer) Chris Biondo, who encouraged her and helped her find work as a backup singer for various acts. In 1990, Biondo and Cassidy hired the so-called "Eva Cassidy Band", composed of Chris Biondo, Lenny Williams, Keith Grimes and Raice McLeod, and she began to perform frequently in the Washington area. City nickname: Americas Sailing Capital Location in the state of Maryland Founded 1649 Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 19. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1992, Biondo played a tape of Cassidy's voice for Chuck Brown. Brown, best known as the "Godfather of Go-go", is also a jazz and blues vocalist. This led to the first commercial recording of Cassidy, the duet album with Chuck Brown, The Other Side; which featured performances of classic songs such as "Fever", Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" and Cassidy's signature tune "Over the Rainbow". The album was released and distributed by Liaison Records, the label that also released Brown's Go-go albums. The duet CD attracted the attention of various record companies, but the offers all required Cassidy to pigeonhole herself within a single style (e.g., pop or jazz), something she adamantly refused to do.^{[citation needed]} 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Chuck Brown is an African-American jazz guitarist. ... Go-Go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid and late 1970s. ... The Other Side is an album by American singer Eva Cassidy and DC go-go funk musician Chuck Brown, recorded in 1992 and released in 1995. ... Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), born Eleanora Fagan and later called Lady Day, was an American singer known equally for her difficult life and her emotive, poignant singing voice. ... Over the Rainbow, music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg, is one of the most famous songs of the late 1930s. ...

In 1993 Eva Cassidy was first honored by the Washington area music community when she was awarded two "Wammie" awards for "Female Vocalist Roots/Traditional R&B" and "Vocalist Jazz/Traditional." The next year she was chosen to perform for the awards ceremony. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

In January 1996, Cassidy recorded the album Live at Blues Alley, about which The Washington Post later commented that "she could sing anything and make it sound like the only music that mattered". [1] Cassidy was unhappy with her singing on the album, because she had a bad cold on the night of the recording; she began recording a studio album which was eventually released as Eva by Heart posthumously in 1997. The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

During a promotional event for the Live at Blues Alley CD in July 1996, Cassidy noticed an ache in her hips, which she attributed to stiffness from painting murals. The pain persisted, and, a few weeks later, Cassidy was diagnosed with melanoma. By the time of her diagnosis, the cancer had spread throughout her body. Cassidy's health rapidly deteriorated, and her final performance was in September 1996, when, after using a walker to reach the stage, she sang "What a Wonderful World" in front of an audience of friends. Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. ... What a Wonderful World was written by songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, first performed by Louis Armstrong, and released as a single in early fall 1967. ...

Eva was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital. A constant stream of friends kept coming, bringing her fruit and flowers. She felt bad that these were going to waste, so she asked someone to bring in paper and crayons. Often she could not see her visitors because of the regimen she had, so this way she helped her visitors to express themselves to her. When one stepped off the elevator and saw the hallways lined with people sitting on the floor colouring, talking and getting to know each other. Eva had every picture hung on the big wall at the end of her bed so she could see them. When friends would visit later, they would find her bent over her pen, handwriting thank-you cards. She had very little energy and stamina to sit, but she used that time to thank people.^{[citation needed]} The Johns Hopkins Hospital is a teaching hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. ... Endurance, or stamina, is the act of sustaining prolonged stressful effort. ...

Eva Cassidy died on November 2, 1996, at the age of 33. She was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Washington Area Music Association.

Accompaniment

During the later part of Eva Cassidy's performing and recording career, she was accompanied by a core group of musicians:

• Keith Grimes - guitar
• Lenny Williams - keyboard
• Chris Biondo - bass
• Raice McLeod - drums

Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is an electrically-amplified string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ...

Posthumous recognition and popularity

• In 1998, a compilation of tracks from Cassidy's three released recordings was assembled into the CD Songbird. This CD lingered in obscurity for a few years until being given airplay on BBC Radio Two by presenter Terry Wogan following recommendation by his producer Paul Walters. In 2001 the album reached #1 in the UK after the BBC television show Top Of The Pops 2 aired a video of Over The Rainbow to massive public reaction. The Songbird CD also achieved significant chart success throughout Europe and has achieved gold status in the United States.

• Since then, several CDs have been released: Time After Time (2000) and Imagine (2002) and "American Tune" (2003). In 2001 a book entitled Songbird was released in the UK on the life and work of Cassidy, based on interviews with close family and associates. The hardcover edition has since sold in excess of 100,000 copies. A U.S. edition (softcover, published by Gotham Books, a division of Penguin Group USA) was released in late 2003 and included additional chapters.

• Sting, the songwriter for "Fields of Gold", was reportedly ^[1] moved to tears when he heard Cassidy's version of his song.

• In March 2001, ABC's Nightline in the United States broadcast a well-received [2] short documentary about Eva Cassidy, written and narrated by Dave Marash and produced by Madhulika Sikka. A similar broadcast occurred on ITV's Tonight with Trevor McDonald in Great Britain in May 2001.

• In 2002, figure skater Michelle Kwan skated to Eva's recording of "Fields of Gold" at the Winter Olympics gala, and later on tour during the northern summer of 2002. Michelle's contribution to "Fields of Gold" was so significant that Cassidy's record label awarded Michelle a gold record for making "Fields of Gold" a household song in 2002.^{[citation needed]}

• Later in the year Olympic Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi skated to Eva's rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine."

• Eva's performance of "Kathy's Song" can be heard in the feature film Maid in Manhattan which was released in 2002 as well. This version was used at the suggestion of the song's writer Paul Simon.

• Another film soundtrack to feature Eva's singing was 2002's The Man from Elysian Fields starring Mick Jagger and Andy Garcia.

• In 2003, Anglo/Georgian singer Katie Melua released her song "Faraway Voice", in memory of Cassidy. She has also performed Eva's arrangement of "Anniversary Song" in concert. On Christmas Eve 2006 BBC1 aired a programme of "impossible duets" in which she duetted with Eva on Over The Rainbow.

• In 2003, American Tune became Eva's third consecutive #1 album in the UK. No other recording artist in popular music history has been able to match this posthumous success, including Elvis Presley or Jimi Hendrix.

• Eva's song Songbird was featured in the feature film Love Actually which was released in the fall of 2003.

• Irish singer Chris De Burgh has stated in concert that his song "Songbird" from his album The Road to Freedom was written in honor of Eva Cassidy.

• In 2004, singer Mary Chapin Carpenter made poignant reference to Eva Cassidy in her song "My Heaven" on the album "Between Here and Gone": "More memories than my heart can hold, when Eva's singing Fields of Gold."

• Olympic Gold Medalist Sarah Hughes skated to "Over the Rainbow" during the "Smuckers Stars on Ice" tour, and World Champion Kimmie Meissner, a teenager from Maryland, also chose "Over the Rainbow" at the exhibition gala following the World Championships.

• 2006 Eva's voice was heard on another movie soundtrack when her "Over the Rainbow" opened the film Alpha Dog.

• In season 5 (2006) of the TV show American Idol, the runner up, Katharine McPhee, sang a song chosen by Simon Cowell. He chose Eva Cassidy's 1996 unique rendition of "Over the Rainbow" for McPhee. Jackson was blown away, calling her "a hot one," and declaring that she had the best song of the season. Abdul was also impressed, saying that song was her "element." Cowell said that he was very happy for McPhee and, putting the fact that he chose the song aside, he thought it was the best performance of the competition to date. He also added that it was brilliant.

1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... Songbird is a compilation album of songs by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 1998, two years after her death in 1996. ... Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations. ... Sir Doctor Michael Terence Wogan KBE (b August 3, 1938, County Limerick, Ireland), more commonly known as Terry Wogan or affectionately known as Wingnut due to his large ears, is a radio and television broadcaster who has mainly worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his... Paul Walters (June 15, 1947 - October 21, 2006) was a BBC radio and TV producer, most noted for his work and appearances on Sir Terry Wogans BBC Radio 2 breakfast, where he was known to millions as Dr Wally. Walters was born in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, where he grew up. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a summary of 2001 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion (US$7. ... TOTP2 (Top of the Pops 2) is a British television music show broadcast on BBC Two, showing archive footage from the long-running Top of the Pops show, some dating back to the early 1960s. ... Over the Rainbow, music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg, is one of the most famous songs of the late 1930s. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sting circa 1987 Gordon Matthew Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951), best known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician and formerly bassist and lead singer of The Police. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Nightline is a late-night hard news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... Tonight is the name of a British television newsmagazine, anchored by Sir Trevor McDonald and produced by the ITV network since 1999. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michelle Kwan Michelle Kwan (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Cantonese: Gwāan Wihngsāan; born July 7, 1980), is an American figure skater and media celebrity who has won nine U.S. championships, five world championships, and two Olympic medals. ... The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were held in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. ... Maid in Manhattan is a 2002 romantic comedy film, directed by Wayne Wang. ... Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, half of the folk-singing duo Simon and Garfunkel who continues a successful solo career. ... A pscyho-sexual drama starring Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, Olivia Williams, Juliana Margulies, Michael DesBarres, and James Coburn. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Andy Garcia at the Incirlik hospital, Incirlik Air Base, December 7, 2001 Andy García (born April 12, 1956) is a Cuban-American actor. ... See also: 2003 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2003 Record labels established in 2003 other events of 2003 list of years in music 2000s in music // January - following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands... Ketevan Katie Melua (Georgian: , surname pronounced IPA: //; born 16 September 1984) is a British-Georgian singer and musician, who was born in Georgia, but moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then relocated to England at the age of 14. ... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the oldest United Kingdom, and indeed, the world. ... Over the Rainbow, music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg, is one of the most famous songs of the late 1930s. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Love Actually is a romantic comedy first released in cinemas in October and November 2003. ... Chris de Burgh (born Christopher John de Burgh Davison on October 15, 1948) is an Irish musician and songwriter. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Alpha Dog is an American film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, released on January 12, 2007. ... AMERICAN IDOL HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO DEATH OF SIMON ... Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American R&B/Soul singer who was the runner-up to Taylor Hicks on the fifth season of American Idol in 2006. ... Simon Philip Cowell (Born 7 October 1959) is an English artist and repertoire (A&R) executive for Sony BMG in the United Kingdom, but is best known as a judge on the television programs Pop Idol, The X Factor and American Idol. ... Over the Rainbow music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, is one of the most famous songs of the late 1930s. ...

Possibility of future film

In an nbc4.com interview, her parents mention the possibility of a future film:

"Eva's parents said Kirsten Dunst or Emily Watson have been suggested as possible actresses who could play their daughter.

The Cassidys said they have shown their tapes to several producers, and hope for a documentary first, then a feature." [3]

Kirsten[1] Caroline Dunst (born April 30, 1982) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actress, known for her roles in Interview with the Vampire, The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Bring It On, as well as Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man film series. ... Emily Anita Watson (born January 14, 1967) is an Oscar nominated English actress best known for her acclaimed debut film performance in Lars von Triers Breaking the Waves. ...

Quotes

• "She could sing anything . . . and make it sound like it was the only music that mattered." -- Richard Harrington, The Washington Post, Nov. 17, 1996 [4]

• "A voice as powerful and soulful as any in popular music." -- Associated Press

• "One of the best voices to have emerged from the U.S. in years." -- The Australian

• “Eva Cassidy’s is the most remarkable posthumous career trajectory in pop music history.” -- London Daily Telegraph - 8/16/03

Discography

• The Other Side (1992) with Chuck Brown
• Eva by Heart (1997) - Eva's only studio album
• Live at Blues Alley (1997)
• Songbird (1998) - A compilation of tracks from the previous three albums - UK #1
• Time After Time (2000) UK #25
• No Boundaries (2000)
• Method Actor (2002)
• Imagine (2002) UK #1
• American Tune (2003) UK #1
• Wonderful World (2004) - A compilation of tracks from her previous five albums - UK #11

The Other Side is an album by American singer Eva Cassidy and DC go-go funk musician Chuck Brown, recorded in 1992 and released in 1995. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Chuck Brown is an African-American jazz guitarist. ... Eva by Heart is an album by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 1997. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Live at Blues Alley is an album by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 1997. ... Songbird is a compilation album of songs by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 1998, two years after her death in 1996. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... Time After Time is an album by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 2000. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... No Boundaries is an album by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 2000. ... Method acting is the endeavour to apply natural rules and laws to the theatre and film acting which can aid an actor with the process of playing a role. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Imagine is an album by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 2002. ... American Tune is an album by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 2003. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wonderful World is an album by American singer Eva Cassidy, released in 2004. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Videography

• Eva Cassidy Sings (2004) - A single camera video recorded at Blues Alley the same nights as the live album in January 1996.
• Mary Ann Redmond & Eva Cassidy Singing Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" (1995) - From a performance at Fleetwood's in Alexandria, VA Mary Ann Redmond's site

Sources

External links

• Eva Cassidy Web Site
• Eva Cassidy Art Work
• Eva Cassidy Clips
• Washingtonian magazine's May 2001 article on Cassidy
• Eva Cassidy at the Internet Movie Database
• Youtube copy of the 2001 Nightline broadcast on Eva Cassidy
• The life, images, songs and music of Eva Cassidy