Interview Laura Bligh
Laura Bligh, a cousin of Eva Cassidy, created a website after the singer’s death in 1996 on which she shares information about Eva with the rest of the world. Laura is willing to answer a few questions from the fan club. Let’s start with your shared grandmother, Clara Cassidy McGrew. What kind of person was she?
You can listen to the interview on the fanclub’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zAgjZYJdcg
I knew her very well, she was quite interesting, but I don’t think she had any particular influence on Eva. Deedee, as we called her, was not especially interested in music. She probably appreciated Eva’s art more. Eva did some charming illustrations for her books and lectures on the subject of retirement and aging.
Your mother Isabel Bligh supported Eva financially. Did she do that out of family love, or did she really believe that Eva would have a great career ahead of her?
My mom, Eva’s Aunt Isabel, didn’t “support Eva financially.” She did surprise Eva with an unsolicited check to help with expenses for the live album. She attended many, many performances and usually brought along a boisterous bunch of friends. You can hear some of them on the live album! There was plenty of family love, and pride in her talented niece, but she 100% thought Eva was going to be a big star. As did I.
After Eva’s death, a discussion arose about “Eva solo” versus “the Eva Cassidy band”. Eva wrote in a letter to her brother Dan that the band was too loud and that she preferred to perform solo, which she did. Do you have a preference for one of the two (solo / band)?
In my opinion Eva’s complaints to Dan about the band being too loud were authentic but came in a cranky moment. Sound levels are always an issue when you perform in many different venues! My son is a singer-songwriter and I see him experiencing many of the difficulties that Eva went through. Like Eva, he does a range of gigs including a five-piece band in bars and clubs, some duo work in restaurants with different collaborators, and some solo engagements. When you are trying to make a living in music, you have to take the work you can get. I am sure Eva wanted to book more solo engagements. They’re easier to arrange, you make more money, and you don’t have to rehearse or consult with anyone else! She seemed to enjoy branching out and playing with smaller groups, such as the duo gigs with Keith and the cabaret-style club engagements with Lenny, and I remember that during her last summer she played at some restaurants with saxophonist Ron Holloway.
As for what she really wanted to do long-term, I can’t second guess her, and anyone who claims to know is probably telling you more about what they thought she should do rather than what Eva herself wanted. If someone asked her that question, her answer probably depended on who was asking and how she felt on a given day. Eva was more comfortable with criticism than with praise. She would agree with any negative comment much more readily than she would accept a compliment.
When I saw Eva perform it was usually with the band. That was mostly geographical, because I live in Virginia, and she played the tiny clubs as a solo act in Annapolis (Maryland). Also, my husband especially enjoyed the band gigs because he loved hearing Eva’s lead guitarist Keith Grimes, who is so good in all the musical styles.
When I listen to Eva’s music now, so many years later, it’s usually the solo material. But not too often. I like to take a break and return to her music for greater impact.
Happy Eva
Testimonials about Eva’s character vary. Everyone recognises her musical talent, but what was she like in company? Some say she had a good sense of humour and was great fun to be around, while others tell me she would sometimes remain silent for hours and that she was very private. How do you remember her?
When we were adults, most of the times I saw Eva was at a family get-together, when she tended to be feeling upbeat and lively, or when I went to hear her perform. I didn’t really see the quiet, introspective adult Eva. She was always a person who needed plenty of alone time but who enjoyed being around people when she was in the mood. Eva’s creative nature was likewise a duality. People were always advising her to choose art or music, one or the other, and that was impossible for her.
A few years ago, you wrote a film script about Eva’s life. Amy Redford did the same. Yet, after almost thirty years, no feature film has been made. Do you think this will ever happen?
I don’t know if a feature film will ever happen, and the thought makes me very nervous. A feature film tends to be seen by the public as an official version and dominates all other accounts. Having read a lot of writing about Eva, including several screenplays, I feel that most writers get a lot wrong. That’s one reason I wrote my own screenplay. But no filmmakers are ever willing to read it, because they already started with their own conception of Eva and her story, and that’s the movie they want to make, not the one I wrote based on my recollections and research. I decided to publish my version on my website so anyone can read it and ideally “see the movie” in their own minds. It would be better for there to be no feature film than one that misrepresents Eva. And my biggest fear about a feature film is that Eva’s own singing would probably not be used. Nowadays that’s how musical biopics are usually made, unfortunately. And that horrifies me. It would be so wrong. The story of her early death and posthumous success is touching, her musical arrangements are wonderful, but it is her VOICE that is MAGICAL and nobody will ever be able to portray Eva properly if the singing isn’t really Eva.
You have seen the documentary “The essence of Eva”. Did it meet your expectations?
Absolutely! I loved it!
My sister Viv and I attended the world premiere of The Essence of Eva in Galway, Ireland. Before we flew out, I talked with Eva’s parents and sisters about their impressions of the documentary, because I knew audience members would ask me about that. They were all so pleased with how it turned out. I don’t remember if it was Aunt Barbara or Anette who said “This is the documentary we were hoping for,” but that basically sums up the family’s reaction.
The documentary is very, very good, within the market constraint that its length had to be edited below 90 minutes. Malcolm and Alex found that terribly difficult, I know. A lot of painful excisions had to be made and important parts of Eva’s life are not shown, such as her love of the outdoors. Knowing their film portrait of Eva would have to be incomplete, they worked hard not to get anything wrong. For example, in an early edit my sister and I got to see, there was a scene that struck both of us as not being true to Eva, and I told them this; they listened, but consulted with other family members before eventually deciding to leave it out.
Mick Fleetwood in the Essence of Eva
I never met filmmakers Malcolm Willis and Alex Fegan in person until the premiere in Ireland. We had been in frequent contact by phone and email over the years they were working on the documentary because I was able to help them locate facts, photos, locations, musical tracks, and people. I also proofread the captions and credits. My most important contribution was tracking down a long-lost taped interview Eva did with reporter Alona Wartofsky of the Washington City Paper. Excerpts from the tape are used very effectively in the film. I was thrilled that they listed me in the credits as a “special advisor.”
What motivates you to spend so much time on your website?
The amount of time hasn’t really been so much, spread over 25 years! You are really asking, why did I make the website and why am I still adding to it? The first part of my answer is, I do it for Eva. She was a wonderful person, I loved her as a person and I believed in her talent. When I was working in arts management I always wished there was something I could do to help her music, but I was strictly in the classical music sphere, and I didn’t really have any connections that would be useful to her. After she died, I was a stay-at-home mom, and the Internet was brand new. As a little project, I made a page of links to online articles about Eva, and the website grew from there. Finally there was something I could actually do for Eva!
It’s also immensely satisfying to see Eva’s music reach music lovers all over the world. New people discover her every day.
Have you ever been reprimanded by Bill Straw or Eva’s parents about things you mention on your website?
I have never, never been reprimanded for anything about the website. Certainly I write things that they might not like, but nobody has said a word. Perhaps this is because I fiercely guard my independence and they know it wouldn’t go over at all well? It’s a 100% personal endeavor and I don’t take money from anyone to support it. One exception to that is, the domain name evacassidy dot org was a gift to me from one of Eva’s fans.
Time After Time album
What do you think about the fact that ‘new work’ by Eva appears almost every year and is released on albums?
I think it’s fantastic. Eva’s music makes the world a better place. There are going to be imperfections in material that had been put aside until now, but I’m used to hearing live music, and that kind of thing doesn’t bother me. Eva was such a perfectionist, and some people say she would be upset, that this-or-that shouldn’t be heard by others. But I’ll tell you what 100% would horrify her, and that’s the ending of the Blues Alley “Over the Rainbow” where her voice cracks. That recording is probably the #1 favorite among Eva’s fans, and who would want it not to exist? But it was never supposed to see the light of day. She had a bad cold that night at Blues Alley and wasn’t singing her best. That vocal crack was very, very untypical of Eva’s singing.
There are still unreleased tracks that I personally love. I lobby for them, usually unsuccessfully, but in a few cases I think I’ve helped put a favorite of mine onto the radar screen. One of those is “Down Home Blues.” I heard Eva do that so many times, to me it exemplifies what the Eva Cassidy Band did, so I was happy that a version of it is on the Walkin’ After Midnight album! Some of my favorite unreleased songs are ‘Angel’ by Jimi Hendrix, ‘As Lovely as You’ by John Pennell, and ‘Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream’ by Ed McCurdy.
Laura Bligh
What role does music play in your own life?
Classical music is my main passion. Like many, I had started as a performer and moved to a backstage career. I was a arts administrator and worked for the National Symphony Orchestra for quite a few years. Nowadays I still love hearing live music but prefer not to have to drive very far for it. Fortunately we live near Wolf Trap, which is a national park for the performing arts, and it’s great to be able to hear world-class musicians and only have a ten-minute drive home. I still also play my flute when nobody else is home.
Thank you very much Laura!
6 responses to “Interview Laura Bligh”
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Laura,
I enjoyed Eva at blues Alley in the early 90s and have every song she has ever recorded. From my perspective she is the best ever and an angel on earth.
Ed
Thank you for the thorough and lovely discussion of Eva
From what I’ve read from the people that knew her, Eva was an exceptionally beautiful human being with warm humility and caring for all and also compassionate. Her talent was evident to everyone. I think of her often.
Love Eva’s voice
Thank you very much for this site, and all the work you’ve put into it. It is such a pleasant surprise to come across, adding warmth to a cold, Quebec City morning. I hope one day, to be abler to hear Eva’s version of Angel.
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All the best, Nick
Eva was a beautiful woman with a wistful voice. She was extraordinary! Thank you for keeping her memory, and her voice alive!