Side note: If you’ve lost someone who’s left a gaping hole your heart and can make it all the way through Eva’s version of Autumn Leaves without crying, you’re a better man than me.
Eva Cassidy. I’ll never forget the first time I heard her sing. It was “Fields of Gold” and I found myself nearly weeping. With a bit of research I found her version of “Over the Rainbow” and that was it - I had to have every recording of her I could find. How sad I was when I discovered there wasn’t much out there and how even more heartbreaking to find she was no longer with us. A true loss for Humanity if there ever was one.
Eva was a victim of the music industry’s ignorance and greed. As a singer- songwriter myself, I can attest to the difficulty one encounters in trying to “make it”. You are at the mercy of a gigantic machine run by individuals who decide what talent is - and let’s face it, most of their decisions are based on dollars and cents, not actual talent. Listened to any top 40 recently? Dear God!
Even with access that aspiring artists have today to outlets like You Tube, Twitter and others, it’s harder now than ever to actually find true talent. It’s no longer small fish, big pond - it’s all swamp. With pitch correction and Auto Tune plugins being applied to nearly all recordings, you don’t need talent today, you need only be internet and tech savvy to make a recording. Even artists like Michael Buble are using Auto Tune, in the studio AND in concert! How insane. Don’t believe it? Check out “Wings of Pegasus” on you tube and poke around there. I promise your jaw will drop.
Eva Cassidy was a pure talent. It was evident even on a crude video recording with not an ounce of processing. Shame on every record executive who heard her voice and passed her up. Eva lost. We lost. Oh what might have been!
It's funny, I first discovered Eva Cassidy's music on, of all places, Pornhub. (Or, at least, I think it was Pornhub. It might've been one of the million other tube sites-- this was ages ago.)
I had clicked on some random compilation video, and Eva's cover of "Fields of Gold" was playing over the clipped footage. Usually, the "music" in those types of videos is cheezy techno or obnoxious rap... but whoever made that video had good taste-- thank you, random internet pervert, hahaha.
Maybe I would've eventually discovered Cassidy's music somewhere else, maybe not, who knows? But wherever you encounter truly beautiful art, even in the seediest of dives, keep your eyes, ears, and heart open to its magic.
Anyway, just thought I'd share that (admittedly odd) story with you folks. All the best, everybody.
"Cassidy picked songs because she loved them, not because they matched the items on an A&R executive’s check list" : this should be the only criteria. Tony Bennet based his career on this principle, fought for it and he won.
Thank You (THANK YOU!) for the Eva Cassidy content. I too am not familiar with this Platinum achieving artist and her wrenching story. I’ve downloaded several of her albums. Kathy’s Song is one of my very favorite songs and I feel Fields of Gold is most under-appreciated. I cannot wait to listen to much, much more and to share the music and the story with my three daughters. Really amazing. You’ve made my day (year), Ted. Again.
I have the book that her parents put together: EVA CASSIDY her story by those who knew her SONGBIRD ; published by Gotham Books ( div. Of Penguin). I picked up my copy as a ‘remainder’ years ago at a local bookstore. She was an amazing visual artist as well. Her paintings and drawings are worth the search for this book.
Cancer, it ravages, it destroys and brings down the best and brightest in their primes. It is in its relentless destruction of the body, mind, heart and ultimately soul of all it curses so arrogant as it holds itself out to be one of the top two causes of death in most of the world. It is most cruel to the poor for it is to its victims the truest meaning of being dispossessed. Criminally, the U.S. spends 6 billions dollars a year on cancer research about what we spent keeping armored weapons of war oiled in the Middle East. We've seen the TRILLIONS the U.S. government can be motivated to spend on disease when it's properly motivated by politics, greed and depravity.
One day punishment, justice and revenge WILL come but in the meantime we can cherish the beauty of lives and loves taken from us by this scourge. Our Angel of song Eva's Beautiful voice can sooth and remind us of the Hope that lives in the Passion of True Art, an Art that has no place for auto tuners, greed or self aggrandizement and for that we must be forever be grateful. RIP Angel and sing your songs from that place where cancer cannot enter and the wicked drown eternally in their own depravity.
As I sit here today, I lament, I have so enjoyed your articles that I decided to go back and pick up some I have yet had the pleasure of reading, and this one made my day, maybe my life. Some of us human critters get our heads down making a living, putting off our passions for want of a living just flat miss things, I sure as hell missed this creature from heaven. If it were not for your article I may have missed hearing one of the most phenomenal voices ever to sing a song. I am not a reactive or emotional person, I care about the human condition and am touched by truly meaningful stories of life, this is one of those. When I listened to the recordings I do not believe I have heard a singer put together all the pieces that make for a unique talent, I am stunned. Again thank you for enriching my life.
There were a few champions of Eva's music over here in Australia.
I bought most of her albums on the back of that airplay.
She was a diamond in the rough and sadly never saw the fruits of her success.
As far as not getting signed because of "no direction' I thought direction was what A and R people together with producers were meant to bring to the table.
Where is the old fashioned vision of companies like Blue Note and Atlantic.
Taking her song and then adding in background singers and horns might be sacreligious to some, but I really like this one. It's one more demonstration of just how versatile and brilliant she really was. This could have been a huge hit. Who cares if it's a cover? It's simply the most brilliant version of this song ever. https://youtu.be/XRNleKBDCNw
I can hardly believe that I got to be this many years old before I learned about Eva Cassiday! But I had no knowledge of her until I read this blog post. Now she is suddenly one of my all-time favorite musicians. What an incredible voice, but also what amazing feel for the music and how to interpret it. Her phrasing is a wonder.
These 25 years later, and with all that has been happening in Ukraine, this recording of Eva's extraordinary spirit filled "Rainbow" literally plunders one's emotions into an abyss of saudade both for her, and for all humanity who will never see their dreams come true. Astonishing. Thank you, Ted, for the wonderful article.
Listening to her never fails, as my wife likes to say, "get me straight in the feels." What an inspiration... and a huge loss that we'll never see what she would have been truly capable of.
Whenever I need to be uplifted I listen to Eva's singing . It never fails to brighten up my day. I have all that is available to buy at present. There is not a bad song on any album released. Special thanks to the person that filmed her Blues Alley Concert. It was so raw but so real at the same time. I have watched the DVD many times. It always get played to the end. Wish there was more.
Thanks Ted for reminding me of Eva Cassidy. I remember the posthumous buzz about her around the turn of the century. I sampled some of her material back then but at the time "I didn't get it". Now, having listened to the 25th anniversary of Live at Blues Alley multiple times thanks to your story, I am gobsmacked by her talent. It's not just her voice; she has a unique way of phrasing and rythmn and "space between the notes" that puts her stamp on old chestnuts such as "Cheek to Cheek" to make the song her own. I normally am not drawn to a "pure" voice like Eva's, preferring rather some "character" such as a Townes Van Zandt , Howe Gelb, or Sue Foley. But Eva is different. I think her sincerity and authenticity shines through. And her voice is magnificent! There is never a "reach" for a note with her; it's just flawless. She could have been the top at many styles of singing; jazz chanteuse, blues belter, or folk singer. And her having not been signed to a label because she didn't have a direction or was too "scattered" is a tragedy itself; a consequence of the sub-genre categorization of music. But what hope I take from her story is that there have got to be other "Evas" out there waiting to be "discovered". I have heard many artists on bandcamp and Spotify just by random chance that I prefer to the so-called "mainstream" artists of today. Let's hope the next "Eva" gets to enjoy her success during her lifetime.
Side note: If you’ve lost someone who’s left a gaping hole your heart and can make it all the way through Eva’s version of Autumn Leaves without crying, you’re a better man than me.
Eva Cassidy. I’ll never forget the first time I heard her sing. It was “Fields of Gold” and I found myself nearly weeping. With a bit of research I found her version of “Over the Rainbow” and that was it - I had to have every recording of her I could find. How sad I was when I discovered there wasn’t much out there and how even more heartbreaking to find she was no longer with us. A true loss for Humanity if there ever was one.
Eva was a victim of the music industry’s ignorance and greed. As a singer- songwriter myself, I can attest to the difficulty one encounters in trying to “make it”. You are at the mercy of a gigantic machine run by individuals who decide what talent is - and let’s face it, most of their decisions are based on dollars and cents, not actual talent. Listened to any top 40 recently? Dear God!
Even with access that aspiring artists have today to outlets like You Tube, Twitter and others, it’s harder now than ever to actually find true talent. It’s no longer small fish, big pond - it’s all swamp. With pitch correction and Auto Tune plugins being applied to nearly all recordings, you don’t need talent today, you need only be internet and tech savvy to make a recording. Even artists like Michael Buble are using Auto Tune, in the studio AND in concert! How insane. Don’t believe it? Check out “Wings of Pegasus” on you tube and poke around there. I promise your jaw will drop.
Eva Cassidy was a pure talent. It was evident even on a crude video recording with not an ounce of processing. Shame on every record executive who heard her voice and passed her up. Eva lost. We lost. Oh what might have been!
It's funny, I first discovered Eva Cassidy's music on, of all places, Pornhub. (Or, at least, I think it was Pornhub. It might've been one of the million other tube sites-- this was ages ago.)
I had clicked on some random compilation video, and Eva's cover of "Fields of Gold" was playing over the clipped footage. Usually, the "music" in those types of videos is cheezy techno or obnoxious rap... but whoever made that video had good taste-- thank you, random internet pervert, hahaha.
Maybe I would've eventually discovered Cassidy's music somewhere else, maybe not, who knows? But wherever you encounter truly beautiful art, even in the seediest of dives, keep your eyes, ears, and heart open to its magic.
Anyway, just thought I'd share that (admittedly odd) story with you folks. All the best, everybody.
"Cassidy picked songs because she loved them, not because they matched the items on an A&R executive’s check list" : this should be the only criteria. Tony Bennet based his career on this principle, fought for it and he won.
Thank You (THANK YOU!) for the Eva Cassidy content. I too am not familiar with this Platinum achieving artist and her wrenching story. I’ve downloaded several of her albums. Kathy’s Song is one of my very favorite songs and I feel Fields of Gold is most under-appreciated. I cannot wait to listen to much, much more and to share the music and the story with my three daughters. Really amazing. You’ve made my day (year), Ted. Again.
I have the book that her parents put together: EVA CASSIDY her story by those who knew her SONGBIRD ; published by Gotham Books ( div. Of Penguin). I picked up my copy as a ‘remainder’ years ago at a local bookstore. She was an amazing visual artist as well. Her paintings and drawings are worth the search for this book.
Cancer, it ravages, it destroys and brings down the best and brightest in their primes. It is in its relentless destruction of the body, mind, heart and ultimately soul of all it curses so arrogant as it holds itself out to be one of the top two causes of death in most of the world. It is most cruel to the poor for it is to its victims the truest meaning of being dispossessed. Criminally, the U.S. spends 6 billions dollars a year on cancer research about what we spent keeping armored weapons of war oiled in the Middle East. We've seen the TRILLIONS the U.S. government can be motivated to spend on disease when it's properly motivated by politics, greed and depravity.
One day punishment, justice and revenge WILL come but in the meantime we can cherish the beauty of lives and loves taken from us by this scourge. Our Angel of song Eva's Beautiful voice can sooth and remind us of the Hope that lives in the Passion of True Art, an Art that has no place for auto tuners, greed or self aggrandizement and for that we must be forever be grateful. RIP Angel and sing your songs from that place where cancer cannot enter and the wicked drown eternally in their own depravity.
As I sit here today, I lament, I have so enjoyed your articles that I decided to go back and pick up some I have yet had the pleasure of reading, and this one made my day, maybe my life. Some of us human critters get our heads down making a living, putting off our passions for want of a living just flat miss things, I sure as hell missed this creature from heaven. If it were not for your article I may have missed hearing one of the most phenomenal voices ever to sing a song. I am not a reactive or emotional person, I care about the human condition and am touched by truly meaningful stories of life, this is one of those. When I listened to the recordings I do not believe I have heard a singer put together all the pieces that make for a unique talent, I am stunned. Again thank you for enriching my life.
There were a few champions of Eva's music over here in Australia.
I bought most of her albums on the back of that airplay.
She was a diamond in the rough and sadly never saw the fruits of her success.
As far as not getting signed because of "no direction' I thought direction was what A and R people together with producers were meant to bring to the table.
Where is the old fashioned vision of companies like Blue Note and Atlantic.
Taking her song and then adding in background singers and horns might be sacreligious to some, but I really like this one. It's one more demonstration of just how versatile and brilliant she really was. This could have been a huge hit. Who cares if it's a cover? It's simply the most brilliant version of this song ever. https://youtu.be/XRNleKBDCNw
I can hardly believe that I got to be this many years old before I learned about Eva Cassiday! But I had no knowledge of her until I read this blog post. Now she is suddenly one of my all-time favorite musicians. What an incredible voice, but also what amazing feel for the music and how to interpret it. Her phrasing is a wonder.
These 25 years later, and with all that has been happening in Ukraine, this recording of Eva's extraordinary spirit filled "Rainbow" literally plunders one's emotions into an abyss of saudade both for her, and for all humanity who will never see their dreams come true. Astonishing. Thank you, Ted, for the wonderful article.
Listening to her never fails, as my wife likes to say, "get me straight in the feels." What an inspiration... and a huge loss that we'll never see what she would have been truly capable of.
Whenever I need to be uplifted I listen to Eva's singing . It never fails to brighten up my day. I have all that is available to buy at present. There is not a bad song on any album released. Special thanks to the person that filmed her Blues Alley Concert. It was so raw but so real at the same time. I have watched the DVD many times. It always get played to the end. Wish there was more.
Thanks Ted for reminding me of Eva Cassidy. I remember the posthumous buzz about her around the turn of the century. I sampled some of her material back then but at the time "I didn't get it". Now, having listened to the 25th anniversary of Live at Blues Alley multiple times thanks to your story, I am gobsmacked by her talent. It's not just her voice; she has a unique way of phrasing and rythmn and "space between the notes" that puts her stamp on old chestnuts such as "Cheek to Cheek" to make the song her own. I normally am not drawn to a "pure" voice like Eva's, preferring rather some "character" such as a Townes Van Zandt , Howe Gelb, or Sue Foley. But Eva is different. I think her sincerity and authenticity shines through. And her voice is magnificent! There is never a "reach" for a note with her; it's just flawless. She could have been the top at many styles of singing; jazz chanteuse, blues belter, or folk singer. And her having not been signed to a label because she didn't have a direction or was too "scattered" is a tragedy itself; a consequence of the sub-genre categorization of music. But what hope I take from her story is that there have got to be other "Evas" out there waiting to be "discovered". I have heard many artists on bandcamp and Spotify just by random chance that I prefer to the so-called "mainstream" artists of today. Let's hope the next "Eva" gets to enjoy her success during her lifetime.