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This show focuses on the lives and works of Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) and Eva Cassidy (1963-1996). Many people know Leonard Cohen, but who was Eva Cassidy? If the word ‘pure’ applies to someone, then it must be Eva Cassidy, the singer who died much too early. Wary from glitter, glamour, …

In the summer of 2012 we received a direct Twitter message from Cary Klein who lived in Florida. He had found out that we were fellow Eva Cassidy fans and he asked us if we were interested in helping him to create an Eva Cassidy tribute account as a platform …

Working with Eva Cassidy was a treat: she could harmonise, her pitch was good, her synchronisation was fine and her musical memory was excellent. She understood completely what musicians needed and she could fit into any role. Experience Unlimited (or E.U.) was a Washington-based GoGo and rhythm and blues crew …

Eva Cassidy, receives a unique reimagining as her vocal performance of Autumn Leaves is paired with the backing of the London Symphony Orchestra. This inspired musical context was created by isolating Eva’s 1996 live vocal performance recorded at the Blues Alley Jazz Club in Washington, DC and combining it with …

On her double album Ultimate Collection Katie Melua looks back on her musical career, spanning fifteen years. Three songs on this album refer to Eva Cassidy. This week Melua started a tour with her band and with the Gori Women’s Choir from her native country Georgia. The Eva Cassidy Fanclub …

Friday 19th October at ‘t Mosterdzaadje in Santpoord-Noord (The Netherlands): Simply Eva, a musical quest to the heart and the soul of Eva Cassidy (1963-1996). This American singer reached stardom after her early death from melanoma. Cassidy’s posthumously compiled album Songbird turned out to be a worldwide success in 2000. …

The Amphitheatre of theSpace @ Symposium Hall features a magical combination of the music of Eva Cassidy with the voice of Elsa Jean McTaggart as she pays a heartfelt musical homage to her favourite artist. Many Fringe audiences will already know Elsa Jean McTaggart from her popular traditional Scottish themed …

Eva Marie Cassidy (1963 – 1996) was an unpretentious humble girl from small town Bowie, Maryland (US). She worked hard with her mother in their nursery, growing flowers and plants. But Eva also sang. She had the voice of an angel, and delivered songs with purity, passion, and power. She …

Eva worked at a plant nursery called Behnke’s between 1981 and 1995. This job had been intended as a short-term-measure, but it turned out to be Eva’s principal wage-paying job. Her colleague Larry Hurley remembers her very well: “At the time Eva Cassidy died, she was just making a name …

When an English friend of mine raved about American singer Eva Cassidy sometime in the late ’90’s, his exhortations were intense enough to quell my usual reticence to buying albums without hearing a single performance on the radio (call me old fashioned, but that’s still how I judge whether music …

2 February would have been Eva Cassidy’s 55th birthday if this American vocalist, guitarist and artist hadn’t died on 2 November 1996. ‘She represents all that is good in this world.’ This quotation – that Eva added to the bottom of her portrait of Bernice, bassist and producer Chris Biondo’s …

Ida de Nijs, born in The Netherlands, was already singing as a child on homemade stages in the living room. Her education after high school was the Amsterdam college for Individual Art Education. Singing in background choirs, participating in cabaret and performing in local pubs made her early years a …

Eva Cassidy Band guitarist Keith Grimes: ‘I’ve been asked by my friend Johan to provide a few remembrances from my time with the Eva Cassidy Band. And what better time than now? For it was on this very evening, 22 years ago, that we hit the stage at Blues Alley …

Eva Cassidy and the members of the Eva Cassidy Band are going to be inducted into the Maryland Entertainment Hall of Fame in Baltimore on 10 December 2017. This local Hall of Fame honors individuals and groups who have made significate contributions to the history of entertainment in Maryland. It …

When Eva Cassidy was a child her favorite film was The Wizard Of Oz, which was broadcast at least once a year. Each time it was announced in the TV Guide the Cassidy children worked themselves into a state of excitement that lasted for several days. The film, made in …

In October and November many people find comfort in Eva Cassidy’s beautiful rendition of ‘Autumn Leaves.’ Eva Cassidy had Seasonal Affective Disorder. When it became September and the days got shorter she told her mother: ‘I can’t really enjoy fall, as beautiful as it is, because I know winter is …

Annapolis (Maryland) was the perfect place for small or solo gigs in 1994. The old town at the Chesapeake Bay had plenty of bars and restaurants interested in low profile and acoustic live music. Eva would have liked to sing and play in Europe like her brother Dan, but Annapolis …

The last song that Eva recorded was ‘Waly, Waly’. It can be found on the Eva By Heart album which Chris Biondo compiled after Eva’s death. It is a sad traditional based on the story of Lady Barbara Erskine, who married the second Marquis of Douglas in 1670 but who …

‘Simply Eva’ is a musical quest to the heart and the soul of Eva Cassidy (1963-1996). This American singer reached stardom after her early death from melanoma. Cassidy’s posthumously compiled album Songbird turned out to be a worldwide success in 2000. How could a multitalented singer like Eva Cassidy remain …

Sunday 18 June 2017 Laura Claire, James Hickman and Dan Cassidy will perform in an Eva Cassidy Tribute: Essence of Eva at Barnsley Civic in Yorkshire. Laura Claire tells us about this special event. What do you admire in Eva Cassidy? What I admire the most in Eva Cassidy is …

Simply Eva is a musical quest to the heart and the soul of Eva Cassidy (1963-1996). This American singer reached stardom after her early death from melanoma. Cassidy’s posthumously compiled album Songbird turned out to be a worldwide success in 2000. How could a multitalented singer like Eva remain so obscure …

Eva Cassidy tribute Twitter account Behind The Rainbow ( @EvaCassidyBio ) welcomed its 10.000th follower this weekend. Berit Christensen from Denmark ( @BtheChangeX ) was very surprised to hear that she was number 10.000 when she started to follow @EvaCassidyBio . “Wow, that is awesome! I love Eva Cassidy, so …

Eva Cassidy’s manager Al Dale passed away on Wednesday March 8th at the age of 80. Al Dale was manager of several bands in the Washington DC area in the eighties and a regular at Chris Biondo’s studio. On one occasion he arrived to pick up some tapes just as …

Have their been any British female singers that have inspired you, influenced you or admired down the years? Alison Krauss: ‘Sandy Denny. Actually John Waite gave me a CD of Liege and Leaf – he introduced me to Fairport Convention. She’s just so innocent and beautiful, there’s no way not …

Eva Marie Cassidy was born on February 2, 1963 at 10.00 p.m. in the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. Her first name was taken from father Hugh’s grandmother, Eva McGrew, a Christian singer and guitar player. The family’s first year in the city was spent in the Southeast area …

Eva Cassidy’s aunt Isabel died on December 28, 2016. She was 83. Isabel was a sister of Hugh Cassidy, Eva’s father. Isabel was one of the first people who really believed in Eva Cassidy’s talent. She supported Eva from the beginning of her career. She was there for Eva’s performances …

“She represents all that is good in this world.” This quotation – that Eva Cassidy added to the bottom of her portrait of Bernice, Chris Biondo’s dog – summarises her own life precisely. Eva loved animals because unlike people they never let her down. In her relationships with others she …

Timo Arthur is proud to present to you his newly recorded song. The American singer-songwriter composed it in tribute to Eva Cassidy. Daniel Karl Cassidy, Eva’s brother, played the violin and string parts, recording them from Iceland where he currently lives. The rest of the song was recorded at Royal …

The most popular Eva Cassidy CD was named after its title song that was originally sung by Fleetwood Mac called ‘Songbird’. Eva Cassidy sang it slowly with so much passion and melodic beauty that Mick Fleetwood described her voice as ‘pure as snow.’ Songbird proves to be a haunting ballad …

The late singer/guitarist Eva Cassidy (1963-1996) was a possibility nature did not allow fulfilled. Barely started in what promised to be a successful career, Cassidy died at 33 from malignant melanoma, the same year her notable Live at Blues Alley (Eva Music) was recorded and released. The present Nightbird is …

All of those who belonged to the close circle around Eva reacted to her death on November 2nd, 1996, in their own way and did everything they could to keep her flame burning. Hugh Cassidy tried to cope with the loss of his daughter by making a statue of her. …

Eva’s brother Dan Cassidy discovered in the 1994 that Europeans appreciated his way of playing. He felt very much at ease on the continent and close to his roots. When he arrived in Iceland he felt completely at home and decided to make it his home. He still resides there …

A Tribute to Eva Cassidy in Leiden Jerney Kate and her band band will pay a tribute to Eva Cassidy on Sunday afternoon April 10th. Between the sets author and biographer Johan Bakker will talk about Eva Cassidy’s short and moving life that ended too soon. Eva Cassidy died 20 …

The huge response to Eva’s music was down to Terry Wogan’s (1938 – 2016) support for her. However, the first song by Eva that Wogan played was not ‘Over The Rainbow’, as most would assume, but ‘Autumn Leaves’ during the last week of August 1998. The following week he played …

Twenty years ago this month Eva Cassidy recorded Live At Blues Alley in Georgetown DC. The album was meant to be her great breakthrough, but in that same year, 1996, the modest, but talented singer died. Not until four years later her voice and her songs reached many people’s hearts …

Nightbird‘s release was long overdue. The album contains the complete concert (audio and partly video) that The Eva Cassidy Band gave on 3 January 1996. The group had booked jazz club Blues Alley in Georgetown DC for two consecutive nights to record an album that would put Eva Cassidy definitely …

Eva Cassidy’s performance at the Blues Alley jazz club has become musical history. Twenty years on, every song recorded on the night of the 3rd January 1996 can be experienced for the first time. Nightbird is The Eva Cassidy Band’s ultimate tour-de-force (Eva Cassidy guitar and vocals, Keith Grimes guitar, …

Eva Cassidy died just after midnight on November 2, 1996. Nineteen years ago today.

Hattie Briggs is about to travel to the continent for her first European tour that will start in Zoetermeer. The British singer has been in The Netherlands once before: ‘I was on a hockey tour then and I’m really looking forward to visiting your country again!’ She was introduced to …

In the final week of October Hattie Briggs (guitar, piano, vocals) and Dan Cassidy will visit The Netherlands. Despite her young age, the British singer Hattie Briggs is deeply rooted in the old folk tradition. Recently she released Red & Gold, a title that refers to the Autumn Leaves of …

This autumn Hattie Briggs will visit The Netherlands to do some concerts. Despite her young age, the British singer is deeply rooted in the old folk tradition. Recently she released Red & Gold a title that refers to the Autumn Leaves of this season. This album reached number 1 on …

In the 90’s Mick Fleetwood had a club in Alexandria called Fleetwood’s. Alexandria is near Washington DC which was the area where Eva Cassidy lived: ‘When I went there I wanted to know what the sensibilities were with the local talents. So I set about meeting and hearing local musicians …

On August 7th 2015, The Metropolitan Room in New York City presents vocalist Rebekah Lowin in ‘I Know You By Heart; the Songs of Eva Cassidy’ a powerful and intimate new show that highlights the life and legacy of the late singer, as well as her original arrangements. The 23-year-old …

Eva’s relationship with Celia Murphy continued to improve: she was someone who really understood Eva, to the point where they sometimes shared an innate telepathy. On one occasion Celia was working in Crystal City when she received a phone message: “Celia, I’m in Alexandria and I am at the store …

For the first time in my life I visited Volendam, a Dutch fishermen’s village where I met Celia Murphy who made a journey through Europe. We enjoyed the local eel and, of course, we talked about Eva Cassidy. Celia was one of Eva’s best friends. In 1973, the Murphys, an …

After years of performing Grace Griffith finally signed a contract with a small record company called Blix Street Records just before Eva’s death. The Los Angeles-based indie label had tasted success with Irish singer Mary Black, who’d had a modest hit with ‘No Frontiers’, not to be confused with No …

After battling Parkinson’s for more than fifteen years, folksinger Grace Griffith was determined to record one more album. Musicians who offered their services for the new recordings were: Lenny Williams (piano), Al Petteway (guitar), Sue Richards (Celtic Harp), Chris Biondo (bass and percussion), Marcy Marxer (guitar, flute, percussion), Larry Melton …

On Saturday March 21st (8 PM) biographer Johan Bakker will talk about the short life of the American singer (1963-1996). ‘Bakker has written an extraordinarily poignant biography (Behind the Rainbow / Eva Cassidy, de biografie). He presents his research in an excellent style and he interprets those he interviewed, and …

Monday night, February 2nd, Theater De Vorstin in Hilversum remembered Eva Cassidy’s 52nd birthday. The well-attended gathering was organised by the Eva Cassidy Fan Club under the chairmanship of founder Anton van Dijken. Eva wasn’t present; she died of skin cancer in 1996 at the age of 33. Although the …

Dutch talkshow host Humberto Tan is pleased with his honorary membership of the Eva Cassidy fan club. In his TV-show RTL Late Night as well as in newspaper interviews he praised the late American singer on a regular basis: “If you know Eva, my plea for more musical appreciation of …

On Eva Cassidy’s 52th birthday, her music will come alive during an impressive show of Jerney Kate and her band during this start evening of the fan club. The Eva Cassidy phenomenon began too late for the woman herself to enjoy it, although whether she would have enjoyed international fame …

“Eva had her own spirit, her own vision. But I didn’t sign her.”Over the course of his career, Bruce Lundvall (Blue Note president from 1984 – 2010) has had to take a pass on many artists who came knocking on his door with a demo. While he has a reputation for …

A section of Langdon Park in Washington DC is now dedicated to Chuck Brown (1936 – 2012). An abstract art installation created by local sculptor Jackie Braitman stands near the park’s entrance, while a retaining wall facing the playground features ten moments and images from Brown’s life (one of them …

Dan Cassidy celebrated his 50th birthday with a special concert at the Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury on July 11th. Cassidy performed there with James Hickman, with his own Swing Quartet and with special guest Charlie Dore. Dan is Eva’s brother and has contributed strings to many of her best-selling discs. …

Nicole Faraday will play the role of Eva Cassidy again in the successful musical Over the Rainbow from September 7th. Johan Bakker talked with the London actress and singer about the shy genius from Maryland. Is Over the Rainbow the same musical as it was when it started 10 years …

The most striking difference between Eva’s music and her painting is that she had yet to find her own voice in her artwork. Maybe this was because much of her work was intended as gifts for family members or friends and she had the recipient in mind as she worked. …

Mick Fleetwood joined Eva onstage and told her that he would be happy to play the drums on her first Blue Note album. In 1994 Mick Fleetwood, founder of and drummer of Fleetwood Mac, opened a nightclub in an inconspicuous office building in Alexandria, Virginia, calling it Fleetwood’s. Many local bands performed there and …

Amba Tremain did backing-vocals on the Somewhere album. Read how Eva Cassidy changed her life. Can you tell something about the different versions of Over The Rainbow you recorded? I have always preferred to sing Eva’s rendition of Over The Rainbow as I thought her melody choices and changes in …

Dutch singer Margriet Sjoerdsma will start her Eva Cassidy tour with Arie Storm, Cord Heineking and Eva’s brother Dan Cassidy on February 1st. The tour will have the same title as the album that the quartet recorded: A Tribute to Eva Cassidy. Eva Cassidy (1963 – 1996) didn’t write many songs …

The American singer Eva Cassidy (1963-1996) died almost twenty years ago. Yet she seems more popular than ever before. This year Coosje Smid scored a hit with her performance of “Fields of Gold” and singer Margriet Sjoerdsma prepares an extensive tribute theatre tour together with Eva’s brother. Johan Bakker wrote a book …

“When Blix Street Records started running out of material they started looking at rehearsal tapes. Artists all over the Washington, DC area started donating to the cause. Bill Straw (president of Blix Street Records) gave me a cassette of Eva making a practice tape for a tune called ‘Dark Eyed …

Grace Griffiths ‘discovered’ Eva Cassidy and sent the tapes to Blix Street Records. We’re very lucky to live in an area that encourages musicians and singers. The Washington, DC area is not considered to be a center of the music industry but there is quite a bit of work for …

Coosje Smid (23) daughter of musical-singer Ernst Daniel Smid, auditioned succesfully for The Voice of Holland. Her glorious moment was broadcast on September 13th, exactly a year after the death of her mother Roos (47): ‘This wasn’t preconceived.’ ‘It was a very special coincidence,’ says Smid, ‘on that date my whole …

In 2003, I found a live recording of Eva Cassidy and her band playing with legendary drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac on an unmarked cassette tape in my Maryland garage.  It was from 1994. At that time, I was married to a pianist named Lenny Williams. Lenny played on …

‘When you begin with a wonderful story; add some stellar vocals, mix in some incredible music,  spice it up with a Gospel Choir, and let it all sizzle together with a remarkable four-piece band,  you have the recipe for one fantastic evening of live entertainment’. How Can I Keep from …

Singer Margriet Sjoerdsma put together a theatre programme about Eva Cassidy. For the book launch of Behind the Rainbow in the attractive theater of book store Selexyz / Donner in Rotterdam I asked Margriet Sjoerdsma to sing a few Eva Cassidy songs. Margriet had just presented her album Drawing Circles and the …

There are many who regret that Eva Cassidy has no grave. The silver-grey angel that Hugh Cassidy sculpted from scrap metal comes closest to a memorial to this exceptional woman. The angel stands in their garden, which connects Hugh and Barbara’s mansion to the shore of Chesapeake Bay, the huge …

In the distance I spot Eva’s father, Hugh Cassidy, in the parking lot of New Carrolton metro station. He’s wearing a baseball cap, like he had said on the phone. Barbara appears as well. “How did you find each other?” she asks. Hugh invites me to sit in the front …

“I was made in Germany,” Eva Cassidy used to tell her friends. It was a joke, of course, but any journey to the heart and soul of Eva Cassidy must begin in central Europe for it was there, in the Rhineland, where she was conceived and where her heart started …

As Eva’s star rose higher and higher Eva´s friends decided to release albums of previously unheard material. In 1994 Bryan McCulley, the Blues Alley cameraman, had attempted to record footage of Eva’s intimate performances at Pearl’s in Annapolis. Eva sang as if she was performing to a small group of friends.Bryan plugged …

The album Eva By Heart was released by Chuck Brown’s label Liaison Records a year after Eva’s death in 1997. Joel E. Siegel, the music critic and professor of English and film studies at Georgetown University, wrote the liner notes. This was a real honour since Siegel had won the …

“She represents all that is good in this world.” This quotation – that Eva added to the bottom of her portrait of Bernice, Chris Biondo’s dog – summarises Eva Cassidy’s own life precisely. Eva loved animals because unlike people they never let her down. In her relationships with others she …

We get into the car again because Larry Melton likes to show me Annapolis. We pass a horse race course where Eva worked for some time. Annapolis is a beautiful old city. It was founded by the puritans of Virginia as ‘Providence’ in 1649. Nowadays Annapolis is Maryland’s capital. Larry …

”The best’ of Eva Cassidy can be found in nearly every recorded performance by her,’ writes S. Victor Aaron. Even today, more than a decade after discovering Eva Cassidy, listening to her music always brings me an unshakable tinge of melancholy that accompanies the joy and wonderment from hearing her unbelievably …

Does ‘You Take My Breath Away’ describe a male-female relationship or is this a song about God? ‘The lead track of The Best of Eva Cassidy is a previously unreleased version of Claire Hamill’s delicately intimate, yet stirring love song You Take My Breath Away. While a 1993 ‘demo’ version of …

“The Best Of Eva Cassidy brings together Cassidy’s best loved renditions and, all in all, it’s a beautiful affair, demonstrating through its inspired tracklisting just what a vocal talent Cassidy was. Opening track ‘You Take My Breath Away’ is a glorious ode to overpowering love, complete with gentle piano and …

While we shake hands Larry raises his sunglasses in a greeting. The journey to Bowie takes fifteen minutes at most. Larry bought the house from the Cassidy’s and many traces of Eva’s family can still be seen. Most eye-catching are the enormous sculptures Hugh created out of scrap metal. Their …

Johan and his publishers Rob and Jacky presenting the new Dutch edition of the Eva Cassidy biography at Snoek´s bookstore in Rotterdam  

On the eve of what would have been Eva Cassidy’s 50th birthday, Blix Street Records announce the release of ‘The Best of Eva Cassidy’, a definitive new collection of 20 of the late singers best-loved and most acclaimed songs. Having achieved 3 UK No.1 albums, a UK No.1 duet single, …

If you pre-order the book you will save shipping costs. Publication date: 19th October 2012. Find your information on www.uitgeverijdodo.nl

A volcanic eruption is spoiling my plan to travel to America. Thanks to Dan’s mediation, I have managed to organise a meeting with Hugh and Barbara Cassidy. Dan is staying at his parents’ home and he has invited me to visit him there, so that he can show me where …

After all my stumbling around in the dark trying to gain information it’s nothing less than a breakthrough when Dan Cassidy writes, completely of the blue, that he would like to meet me. We find a suitable date: 23rd November 2009. That day I catch the 5pm Fyra train to …

James Hickman and Dan Cassidy are a newly formed transatlantic folk and roots duo. Dan Cassidy (USA), provides an exciting array of fiddling renditions, while James Hickman (UK), brings his driving guitar playing and wonderfully unique interpretations of songs to their mixture of new and old folk music. James and …

Tuesday July 3rd Radio 1 (The Netherlands) 7.30 PM The Culture Summer – Jellie Brouwer Music journalist Johan Bakker talks about his book ‘Behind the Rainbow’, the biography of Eva Cassidy, the singer with the fabulous voice who died at the age of 33 as a result of cancer. ‘Behind …

An unrecorded Eva Cassidy poem is being released by singer Deborah Rose. She took a giant leap of faith in 2009, leaving the safety of a steady job as external relations manager at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre to pursue her burning ambition, inspired by her heroine Eva Cassidy. It paid off. …

Once it was my dream to write a book. Becoming a finalist of The People’s Book Prize was more than I’d expected. Winning this prize was simply beyond my imagination. Behind the Rainbow is a tribute to a woman who conquered misery by creating beauty. I hope that reading this biography …

May 29th voting will close for the finalists of the People´s Book Prize. Please vote for the Eva Cassidy Biography Behind the Rainbow and spread the news! Voting is easy! The People’s Book Prize has no judgesYOU be the judge!YOU now have a voice in choosing Britain’s next top authors. …

Chuck Brown, one of the most popular artists in Washington D.C., died at John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore on May 16. Several generations have grown up with his music and a street in the city was renamed Chuck Brown Way. Chuck loved being photographed by his fans because ‘there once was …

After seeing the musical I spoke with its author Brian Langtry.  ‘The piece was written originally in 2003 when I was looking for a new project to write. I noticed an advertisement in The Stage magazine for a show A slice of Saturday Night being produced by Phoenix Productions based …

Unexpected meetings with Zoe Tyler and Katie Stokes At the end of the afternoon I walk into the hall where two technicians are talking to each other in front of the stage. Several instruments are situated at the back of the stage, in the middle there’s a tree trunk; that …

Motherwell seems to be an impossible destination. The small town is situated some fifteen miles south of Glasgow and it can be reached via Edinburgh.  A bunch of Germans are trying – in a complicated manner – to get some pounds out of the cash machine at the airport so …

Eva’s parents, frequently portrayed in British newspapers and magazines, are not as easy to trace as Chris Biondo. I discover a website about Eva’s art owned by Eva’s sister Margret and half-sister Anette. It’s possible to order replicas of paintings, drawings and beads that Eva created on Evacassidy.com. In an …

Behind the Rainbow has been nominated for the People’s Book Prize. Please register and vote for the book here:  http://www.peoplesbookprize.com/book.php?id=710  

Many people are fascinated by the voice of Eva Cassidy. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to write a book about her? After the interview with Katie Melua I speak to Daniëlle and Alice of Dramatico about the surprising notion that so many people are fascinated by the voice of Eva …

It starts with meeting Katie Melua in a small antique lift… In the week before Christmas of 2000 Eva’s amateur-like recorded video images of her solo version of ‘Over the Rainbow’ touch the right chord: Songbird becomes the UK’s best sold album in 2001. Newly discovered material is being released …