Eva Cassidy
February 2nd
1963 – November 2nd 1996
I am moved to write about Eva for several reasons, the most
important of which is the inspiring nature of her incomparably beautiful inner
spirit. She would have been 49 years old this autumn.
Perhaps my muse was also triggered by announcements of next
week’s tributes to her at Strathmore or perhaps nagged by my long-held
intention to write about Blues Alley stable – with which she is inextricably
and eternally connected. Regardless of the reason, the time has come. Her music
and life have inspired and lifted me for years, through hard times and easy
times and I owe her much.
Eva’s story is haunting, heart breaking and almost mystical.
She did not pander to popularity. She did not play to the
right or the left or the mainstream. Eva proved herself to be a true artist,
dedicated to perfecting her craft and driven by a passion, which was guided by
her soul. She listened to the strings of her heart. In her lifetime she was
well-loved and little known. She refused to be bullied into singing what would
sell, preferring to sell what she was singing. Her musical talent spread across
a broad spectrum of genres amongst which she moved with grace and ease. People
tried very hard to pigeonhole her but she was no pigeon. She was a “songbird.”
She was true to herself. There was no need to “sell” and she was no shill. She
simply was.
She was humble and even shy. During her life she did not
seek fame, yet after her death it found her. She will never age.
Friends and family have lovingly nurtured her memories and
kept her spirit alive to share with a world, which has come to revere her. http://evacassidy.org/eva/
She was courageous, not only in overcoming insecurities
about performing in public but also about holding true to her creative
instincts. Her courage continued to the end as she faced her mortality so early
in a life that had really just begun to click for her.
Eva left a legacy of life lessons for everyone.
When she died, she had created one self-published live
recording album that she sold almost reluctantly from the trunk of her car. She
had a couple of hundred fans.
In 2005 when Amazon published their 25 top selling artists from
the company’s first ten years, the little known songbird who sang in a Blues
Alley Stable had soared to the #5 spot, surpassing Elvis, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
She was courageous, not only in overcoming insecurities
about performing in public but also about holding true to her creative
instincts. Her courage continued to the end as she faced her mortality so early
in a life that had really just begun to click for her.
Eva’s musical sensibility and raw talent remain breathtaking
even through recordings and videos that are unpretentiously produced and
archived. When you listen to her, the world stops for a little while.
When Chuck Met Eva, Washington Post, Sunday March 8th
1998
Blues Alley, located one block below M Street off Wisconsin
Avenue behind #1073 has become a Washington icon and destination site. The
architectural features of the stable have been well preserved and include the
hayloft beam, paired hay loft doors, carriage and horse entry arch. An addition has been built beside
it. Its future was not always secure;
for it was nearly destroyed by developers who had “master plans” that included
destroying the stables and old homes in Cady’s Alley and along the canal walk. The
community and historic preservationists rallied and successfully blocked this.
Canal Walk
According to the Blues Alley club website http://bluesalley.com/visit.cfm: -
“Founded in 1965, Blues Alley is the
nation's oldest continuing jazz supper club, having showcased internationally
renowned concert hall artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy
Wilson, Grover Washington Jr., Ramsey Lewis, Charlie Byrd, Maynard Ferguson and
Eva Cassidy in a small intimate setting. Located in the heart of historic Georgetown
in an 18th century red brick carriage house, Blues Alley offers its patrons a
unique ambiance, reminiscent of the jazz clubs of the 1920's and 30's."
In a May 1st, 2002 writer Sherri Dalphonse wrote a
wonderful tribute to Eva Cassidy in the Washingtonian Magazine. It skillfully captured
the essence of who she was.
“Songbird”
“Eva Cassidy's Voice Was Pure and Rich With Emotion. When She Died Five
Years Ago, That Might Have Been the End of the Story. But Her Music Has Lived
On, and Now It's Making Her a Star.” http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/songbird/
Other articles about Eva Cassidy.
You can listen and watch Eva still powerfully speaking for herself (and to us) …
Fields of Gold
Eva Cassidy Live at Blues Alley
Somewhere over the Rainbow
Danny Boy
The Water is Wide
Imagine
Eva Cassidy SongBird
Yesterday
