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.
Stormy Monday
Eva Cassidy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They call it stormy Monday but Tuesday's just as bad
Wednesday is worse and Thursday's also sad
The eagle flies on Friday Saturday I go out to play
The eagle flies on Friday Saturday I go out to play
Sunday I go to church that's when I get down on my knees
And I pray
I say Lord have mercy oh Lord Lord Lord have mercy on me
Yeah Lord Lord Lord Lord have mercy on me
Don't you know I'm just trying to find my baby
Won't somebody please send him home to me
Oh yeah Lord have mercy Lord have mercy on me
Lord have mercy Lord have mercy on me
Don't you know I'm trying to find my baby
Won't somebody please send him home to me
In "Stormy Monday," Eva Cassidy sings of the emotional pain and heartbreak that comes with love and loss. She compares the days of the week to the feelings she experiences throughout the week, suggesting that each day is just as bad as the last. However, on Friday, she sees an eagle fly, a symbol of hope, and on Saturday she goes out to play, signifying some reprieve from her emotional turmoil. On Sunday, she finds solace in prayer, begging for mercy and pleading for her lost love to return.
The lyrics reflect the deep emotional struggle that comes with a broken heart. The repetition of the phrase "Lord have mercy" emphasizes the singer's desperation for healing and the return of their loved one. The comparison of the different days of the week to the emotions felt over time conveys the cyclical nature of grief and the way it can consume a person's entire week.
The song was originally written by T-Bone Walker in 1947 and has been covered by many artists throughout the years, including B.B. King and Eric Clapton. However, it was Eva Cassidy's rendition of the song that brought it to mainstream attention. Cassidy's emotionally charged vocals and acoustic guitar playing create a raw and powerful interpretation of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
They call it stormy Monday but Tuesday's just as bad
Although people say that Monday is bad because of the storm, Tuesday is equally dreadful.
Wednesday is worse and Thursday's also sad
The rest of the week is also awful, with Wednesday being even worse and Thursday being filled with sorrow.
The eagle flies on Friday Saturday I go out to play
On weekends, Friday and Saturday, I take some time to have fun while the eagle soars overhead.
Sunday I go to church that's when I get down on my knees
On Sundays, I go to church to pray and show my devotion to the Lord.
And I pray
During my church visits, I pray and ask for divine assistance.
I say Lord have mercy oh Lord Lord Lord have mercy on me
I request mercy and help from the Lord, asking him to guide me through my troubles and difficulties.
Don't you know I'm just trying to find my baby
I am searching for my loved one who has gone missing, and I am hoping for divine intervention to bring him back to me.
Won't somebody please send him home to me
I plead with anyone who can help me to bring my beloved back to me, as I am lost without them.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, MUSIC ASSET MANAGEMENT (MAM), Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Aaron T-Bone Walker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cold Turkey
They call it stormy Monday but Tuesday's just as bad
They call it stormy Monday but Tuesday's just as bad
Wednesday is worse and Thursday's also sad
The eagle flies on Friday Saturday I go out to play
The eagle flies on Friday Saturday I go out to play
Sunday I go to church that's when I get down on my knees
And I pray
I say Lord have mercy oh Lord Lord Lord have mercy on me
Yeah Lord Lord Lord Lord have mercy on me
Don't you know I'm just trying to find my baby
Won't somebody please send him home to me
Oh yeah Lord have mercy Lord have mercy on me
Lord have mercy Lord have mercy on me
Don't you know I'm trying to find my baby
Won't somebody please send him home to me
Don Strasbaugh
It just blows my mind that music executives didn’t get it. THIS is just so amazing! Magical gifts one and all. As a veteran trained musician and listener I can clearly see that Eva was truly touched by God and her boys loved her so very deeply. It’s just phenomenal how this little gig in the massive world of music rises up to be the greatest moment ever put on tape. Ever! I would give all of my money to have been there sitting in her presence. To play with her. To listen to her. Gifts from heaven to those involved that should be cherished forever. Wow! Just an amazing time. The greatest moments in life are often short and generally few. This is one of those moments. Very special. Thank you Eva! Thank you fellas! Thank you so much. 🎺
Wil Corrigan
@The No. 1 Idea Ever heard of Etta James? Give me a break.
Fendr1962
I just can’t think of any words that truly express how amazing Eva is. All I have is thank you Eva for allowing me to hear your beauty. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Kmarie
Her voice literally makes me cry with goosebumps!!
Eva one in a million!
💕💕💛💛
Tony Price
so true
The No. 1 Idea
The best female singer in this style ever - period... Proof of God I suppose - never heard such purity and power - and taken from the world so soon.. can you imagine if she walked onto the set of American Idol - they would have closed down the show - you just can't get any better... listen to her recordings like "Fever" ... etc... amazing...
honeysoi
Eva Cassidy is one of the most amazing voice I’ve ever heard : She sang the blues like a black woman ! And her band perfectly emphasized her voice. Thanks for sharing this with us.
kay H
Amazing
ProudAmericanMom
I found Eva on YouTube a few years ago. Her talent will live on. What a beautiful voice!... what a unique talent!... what a special gift she has given us! Thank you!
R N
Because Miss Cassidy's voice is so amazing we forget just how amazing the band was. I would have loved to
have seen her live