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.
Let The Good Times Roll
Eva Cassidy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's have some fun
You only live once
But when you're dead you're gone
So let the good times roll
Well let the good times roll
Well it makes no difference
Just get together
And let the good times roll
Hey don't sit there mumbling
Talkin' trash
If you want to have a ball
You gotta spend some cash
Let the good times roll
Oh yeah let the good times roll
Makes no difference
If you're young or old
Oh let the good times roll
(Scat)
Tell everybody Chuck Brown is in town
A dollar and a quarter
He's just wearing a crown
Don't let no female play me cheap
I got fifty cents more
Than I'm gonna keep
So let the good times roll
Yeah let the good times roll
Don't make no difference
If you're young or old
Just get together and
Let the good times roll
No matter whether rainy weather
If you want to have a ball
You've got to get yourself together
Get under control and
Let the good times roll
(Now what you gonna do)
(Yeah)
The song "Let the Good Times Roll" by Eva Cassidy and Chuck Brown is a classic rock and roll anthem that encourages everyone to let loose and enjoy life, regardless of their age. The lyrics stress the importance of having fun and making the most of life before it's too late. The song begins by inviting everyone to have a good time since they only live once, and once they're gone, they can't enjoy themselves anymore. The chorus reinforces the importance of celebrating life by saying, "Let the good times roll" and emphasizes that it doesn't matter if you're young or old. The song encourages people to come together and enjoy the moment, rather than worrying about trivial things.
Throughout the song, the lyrics are both playful and provocative, urging listeners to let go and have fun. The lyrics also touch on the idea that having fun sometimes requires spending money and that it's worth it to do so in order to enjoy life to the fullest. The song also references Chuck Brown himself, saying "Tell everybody Chuck Brown is in town," which adds a unique touch to the song's message.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey everybody
Greetings, everyone
Let's have some fun
Let's enjoy ourselves
You only live once
Life is precious
But when you're dead you're gone
Death is inevitable
So let the good times roll
Let's make the most of life
Well let the good times roll
Let's have a great experience
Well it makes no difference
Age doesn't matter
If you're young or old
Regardless of your age
Just get together
Unite with others
And let the good times roll
Enjoy the moment
Hey don't sit there mumbling
Stop complaining
Talkin' trash
Saying negative things
If you want to have a ball
If you want to have fun
You gotta spend some cash
You need to spend some money
Oh yeah let the good times roll
Let's have an unforgettable experience
Tell everybody Chuck Brown is in town
I am I, and I am here
A dollar and a quarter
A bit of money
He's just wearing a crown
I am the king of the town
Don't let no female play me cheap
Don't let anyone take advantage of me
I got fifty cents more
I have more money
Than I'm gonna keep
Than I intend to hold on to
Don't make no difference
Age is irrelevant
No matter whether rainy weather
Despite the bad situations
You've got to get yourself together
You need to get it together
Get under control and
Get your emotions in check and
Let the good times roll
Have a great time
(Now what you gonna do)
(What's your next move?)
(Yeah)
(Yes)
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Lee, Shirley Goodman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind