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.
Songbird
Eva Cassidy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For you the sun will be shining
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's all right I know it's right
And the songbirds keep singing like they
Know the score
And I love you I love you I love you
Like never before
To you I would give the world
To you I'd never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's all right I know it's right
And the songbirds keep singing like they
Know the score
And I love you I love you I love you
Like never before like never before
Like never before
Like never before
The first verse of Eva Cassidy's "Songbird" sets a positive, uplifting tone for the entire song. She tells her loved one that they bring her so much happiness that there will be no reason to cry, and that they will always see the sun shining down on them. Cassidy emphasizes that when she is with this person, she knows deep within herself that everything is going to be all right. The second verse goes into more detail about how much love Cassidy has for this person. She says that she would give them the entire world if she could and promises that they will never feel cold because her love will always keep them warm. Once again, Cassidy emphasizes that her love for this person makes her feel secure and content.
The chorus, which repeats twice in "Songbird," conveys a sense of timeless love. Cassidy sings about songbirds singing like they "know the score," suggesting that love is something universally understood and celebrated. She then declares her love three times in a row, emphasizing the emotional depth of her feelings. The phrase "like never before" puts into words the idea that the love Cassidy is experiencing with this person is unlike anything she has felt in the past, indicating a relationship that is truly special and unique.
Line by Line Meaning
For you there'll be no crying
I will do everything to make sure that you never have to cry.
For you the sun will be shining
You will always see the bright side of life.
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
Being with you is a feeling that cannot be defined.
It's all right I know it's right
I am confident that this feeling is right.
And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score
Nature seems to be rejoicing with us.
And I love you I love you I love you
Words cannot express how much I love you.
To you I would give the world
I would go to any extent to make you happy.
To you I'd never be cold
I will always be there for you when you need me.
Like never before
This is a love that is unlike any other.
Like never before
This love is incomparable.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christine McVie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sing Your Style Studio
For you, there'll be no crying
For you, the sun will be shining
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright
I know it's right
And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
To you, I would give the world
To you, I'd never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright
I know it's right
And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
Like never before
Like never before
Salt Rock Shakers
It’s just after midnight, Nov. 02, 2021, twenty-five years after Eva’s passing, and I wanted to write this vigil post commemorating Eva’s Quadrans-Centennial Anniversary and to celebrate her “Gift of Music” she left behind for us all. To me, it is the finest music ears can hear, and I thank God for those who were insightful enough to preserve it.
I first heard Eva’s heavenly voice in Jan. of 2021, and I knew then, I’d found the Holy Grail of vocalists. Few artists ever caused me to weep hearing their music, but Eva evoked that level of emotion from me, repeatedly.
Somehow, Eva’s creative, humble spirit paired with her bold, vocal perfection made a spiritual connection with me unlike any singer/songwriter/musician before. It was like finding gold and then developing gold fever. I called it “Eva Fever.”
For the past year, I’ve dug deep into Eva’s goldmine of music, and my obsession has grown song by song, all the while finding we are kindred spirits in music and spiritual beliefs. It’s been wonderful being able to read so many stories about her, and today, I’m even more in awe of Eva’s life and her musical skills. I don’t think I’ll ever get over “Eva Fever,” nor will I ever want to.
Many thanks go out to those who’ve preserved her memory.
Kent Chandler
I wish I could find the words to describe my feelings for Eva's talent, and grace. Such rare beauty!
Readonna Wilson
It leaves me speechless
M
Very true....angelic
Wilbert Gatus
Every time I hear this song makes me cry a bit, it fills my heart with joy and love. Wonderful song. Thank you.
Aphrodite Blighty
Exactly that
M Watson
OMG incredible!!! Eva was only discovered after she died when her father released all her recordings. Apparently she never thought she was good enough!!!! She's incredible and died so young of cancer heart breaking !
Mario pino Piana
Ogni volta che ti ascolto chiudo gli occhi e tu mi appari come d incanto,armonia e voce incantevole,brivido che entra nell anima e sgorga dagli occhi in un mare di lacrime.Eva....semplicemente unica.🌷🌈🎶♥️
Gina Ree
Love this song very much. I feel someone so special to me when I listen. My heart is full.
God bless each person that reads this♥️
Thomas Bryceland
Thank you so much, kind people like you warm my heart, and musicians live Eva fill most people with happiness and sadness at the same time.