Mick Fleetwood and Eva Cassidy (guest blog post Niki Lee)

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 most of Eva’s tracks and live gigs. One of those gigs was recorded and forgotten. That show happened at a club called Fleetwood’s in Alexandria, Virginia. Mick Fleetwod lent his name to the music venue and some nights would jam with local bands.

Eva Cassidy Live at Fleetwood’s captures this singing genius at her best. Luckily, the sound quality of the original cassette is clear as the tape deck was plugged directly into the sound board. The tape was digitized in 2003.

Set List Fleetwood's

Set List Fleetwood’s

As Eva introduces the song Nightbird, she mentions that it’s one of her favorites. While Nightbird composer Doug MacLeod heard Eva’s he was driving and had to pull off the road ‘to weep.’ After that, he stopped singing it live. When fans would ask why, he’d tell them to listen to the definitive version: Eva’s.

niki lee

August 21, 2013 

 

Press Report: Singer Eva Cassidy Enters Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

August 25, 2013 Hollywood, CA:

– Late Vocalist Enters Rock and Roll Hall of Fame –

RRHF Inductee Mick Fleetwood played on late singer’s live performance.

 

A cassette tape of the late singer Eva Cassidy has been entered into the archives of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2003, Cassidy friend and colleague Niki Lee found a live recording of Cassidy on an unmarked cassette tape in her Maryland garage. The 17-song-gem, dating back to 1994, is a recording of Cassidy and her band accompanied Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac. Cassidy regularly played at his club Fleetwood’s in Alexandria, Virginia and the famous drummer would occasionally sit in with local bands. Fleetwood and Fleetwood Mac are Rock Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

Mick Fleetwood with the Songbird album

Mick Fleetwood with the Songbird album

Lee met the late singer in 1987 at the start of Cassidy’s work with producer Chris Biondo and, then husband, Lenny Williams, Cassidy, a shy performer, was nearly unknown at the time of her death from melanoma in 1996. She was 33. Her posthumous acclaim has been astonishing.  In 2000, Eva’s version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow played on BBC radio and the studio’s phones in exploded. She has since been voted one of the best vocalists of the 20th century and made history by being one of the highest selling artists to date on Amazon.com.

Eva Cassidy Live at Fleetwoods contains fan favorites including Son of a Preacher Man,  Drown in My Own Tears, Time After Time and Nightbird.

4 responses to “Mick Fleetwood and Eva Cassidy (guest blog post Niki Lee)”

  1. Lee says:

    I love to read about Eva. I have every cd of Eva’s and love to listen to her. So much so that when I had my daughter 13 years ago, Eva was singing in the delivery room. My daughter has Eva for her middle name… of course, after our wonderful Miss Eva Cassidy ❤

  2. niki lee says:

    hello! thanks for creating the post. love~niki

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