Eva Cassidy was the third of four children born to Hugh and Barbara Cassidy. From an early age, she displayed artistic and musical talent. When she was nine years old, her father taught her to play the guitar, and she began to play and sing at family gatherings.
While a student at Bowie High School, she did sing with a local band, called Stonehenge, and received considerable praise.
At the age of eighteen, Cassidy began her professional career, singing and playing guitar in a Washington, D.C., area band, called Easy Street. This band performed in a variety of styles, at weddings, corporate parties, and pubs.
During the summer of 1983, Cassidy sang and played guitar, six days per week, at Wild World, in Maryland. Her brother Dan was also a member of this working band.
Throughout the 1980s, Cassidy worked with a number of other bands, including the soul and Motown-oriented band The Honeybees, and the techno-pop band Characters Without Names, later called Method Actor.
During this period, Cassidy also worked as a propagator at a plant nursery and as a furniture painter in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1986, she met (bassist and recording engineer) Chris Biondo, who encouraged her and helped her find work as a backup singer for various acts. In 1990, Biondo and Cassidy hired the so-called "Eva Cassidy Band", composed of Chris Biondo, Lenny Williams, Keith Grimes and Raice McLeod, and she began to perform frequently in the Washington area.
In 1992, Biondo played a tape of Cassidy's voice for Chuck Brown. Best known as the "Godfather of Go-go", Brown is also a jazz and blues vocalist. This led to the first commercial recording of Cassidy, the duet album with Chuck Brown, The Other Side; which featured performances of classic songs such as "Fever", Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" and Cassidy's signature tune "Over the Rainbow". The album was released and distributed by Liaison Records, the label that also released Brown's Go-go albums. The duet CD attracted the attention of various record companies, but the offers all required Cassidy to pigeonhole herself within a single style (e.g., pop or jazz), something she adamantly refused to do.[citation needed]
In 1993 Eva Cassidy was first honored by the Washington area music community when she was awarded two Wammie awards for "Female Vocalist Roots/Traditional R&B" and "Vocalist Jazz/Traditional." The next year she was chosen to perform for the awards ceremony.
In January 1996, Cassidy recorded the album Live at Blues Alley, about which The Washington Post later commented that "she could sing anything and make it sound like the only music that mattered". [1] Cassidy was unhappy with her singing on the album, because she had a bad cold on the night of the recording; she began recording a studio album which was eventually released as Eva by Heart posthumously in 1997.
During a promotional event for the Live at Blues Alley CD in July 1996, Cassidy noticed an ache in her hips, which she attributed to stiffness from painting murals. The pain persisted, and, a few weeks later, Cassidy was diagnosed with melanoma. By the time of her diagnosis, the cancer had spread throughout her body. Cassidy's health rapidly deteriorated, and her final performance was in September 1996. At the performance, she had used a walker to reach the stage, sang "What a Wonderful World" in front of an audience of friends, and was subsequently admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital.[citation needed]
Eva Cassidy died on November 2, 1996, at the age of 33. She was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Washington Area Music Association.
Danny Boy
Eva Cassidy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From glen to glen and down the mountain side
The summer's gone and all the flowers dying
'Tis you 'tis you must go and I must bide
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy oh Danny boy I love you so
But when ye come and all the roses falling
And I am dead as dead I well may be
Go out and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an ave there for me
And I will hear tho' soft you tread above me
And then my grave will warm and sweeter be
For you shall bend and tell me that you love me
And I will sleep in peace until you come to me
The lyrics to "Danny Boy" are a call from a loved one to someone named Danny to come back to them, but also a farewell as they realize that they must part ways. The imagery of the pipes calling from "glen to glen" and "down the mountain side" creates a sense of distance and connection to nature. The lyrics speak to the ephemeral nature of life, with the idea that summer has passed, and the flowers are dying. It seems as though the singer is saying goodbye to Danny for the last time, with the line "And I am dead as dead I well may be" implying that they may not live to see Danny again.
However, despite this sadness and finality, there is a feeling of hope and comfort in the second stanza. The singer expresses that they will be waiting for Danny "in sunshine or in shadow," and that they love him. They also speak of their own death, and how they hope that Danny will visit them and say a prayer when they are gone. The final two lines suggest that even in death, the singer will find peace knowing that Danny loved them and will come to be with them eventually.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Danny boy the pipes the pipes are calling
The sound of the bagpipes is calling out to Danny, echoing through the valleys and mountains.
From glen to glen and down the mountain side
The sound of the pipes is traveling across the hills and through the valleys.
The summer's gone and all the flowers dying
The summer season has come to an end and the flowers have withered away.
'Tis you 'tis you must go and I must bide
Danny must leave and go on his own journey, while the artist must stay behind.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
The artist pleads with Danny to return when the meadows are green and the sun is shining.
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
Alternatively, the singer hopes Danny will come back in the wintertime when the valleys are covered in snow.
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
The singer promises to wait for Danny, whether things are bright and happy, or dark and uncertain.
Oh Danny boy oh Danny boy I love you so
The artist expresses their loving feelings towards Danny.
But when ye come and all the roses falling
In the event that Danny comes back when the roses are falling and the artist is dead...
And I am dead as dead I well may be
...the artist may have passed away, and Danny will have to come to their resting place.
Go out and find the place where I am lying
The singer instructs Danny to search for their final resting place.
And kneel and say an ave there for me
Once he's found the artist's grave, Danny should pray and give their respects.
And I will hear tho' soft you tread above me
The singer believes they will be able to sense Danny's presence, even if he walks softly over their grave.
And then my grave will warm and sweeter be
Danny's visit will bring warmth and sweetness to the singer's resting place.
For you shall bend and tell me that you love me
Danny must express his love for the singer while visiting their grave.
And I will sleep in peace until you come to me
The artist will feel at peace, knowing that Danny loved them and will come to visit them again in the future.
Lyrics ยฉ CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: FREDERICK E. WEATHERLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@eimagine
Danny Boy
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go, and I must bide
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so
But when ye come, and all the roses falling
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
Go out and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me
And I will hear, tho' soft your tread above me
And then my grave will warm and sweeter be
For you shall bend and tell me that you love me
And I will sleep in peace until you come to me
@johnnymac8680
I'm Irish and have heard this song sung so many times but no one can put the emotion and feeling into this song that Eva can. She is so missed.
@elizabethwallace-donnelly.2356
I agree with you . Iam Irish also... This Rendition brings tears to my eyes,..
@annb8296
RIP Eva ๐๐ฉท๐๏ธ. Thank you for blessing us with your beautiful voice. I listen to you sing everyday. This song is the most beautiful rendition I have ever heard โคโคโค
@martinwfarrell
wow, that is really saying something.
@annb8296
@@martinwfarrell Yes definitely, there are singers who can touch your soul and she is one of them ๐๏ธ๐
@steveelliott5245
my 94 year old father just passed today rest in peace dad with love from your son and family in Australia
@davidwalker8955
Condolences to you and your family .
@ericvonkaenel3643
We lost Eva way too early. She truly had the voice of an angel.
@2A-Bear-Arms
Another angel voice brought me here, Karen Carpenter. ๐
@proialee
@@2A-Bear-Arms ฤทk