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.
True Colors
Eva Cassidy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't be discouraged
Though I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness there inside you
Makes you feel so small
But I see your true colors
Shining through
See your true colors
That's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow
Show me a smile then
And don't be unhappy
Can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You can call me up
Because you know I'll be there
And I see your true colors
Shining through
See your true colors
That's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
Your true colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow
Oh oh oh I can't remember
When I last saw you laugh
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there
And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
See your true colors
That's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
Your true colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow
I see your true colors
Shining through
See your true colors
That's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
Your true colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow
Oh oh oh
The song "True Colors" is a beautiful message of acceptance and love for who someone truly is. In the first verse, the singer encourages someone who is feeling down and lost to not be discouraged, but to take courage despite the difficult circumstances in their life. The world can be overwhelming and it can make someone feel very small and insignificant, but the singer sees beyond the sadness and recognizes the beauty in the unique qualities that make a person who they are.
The chorus celebrates the idea of "true colors," which represent the authentic self that each person possesses. The metaphor of a rainbow is particularly fitting because it represents the beauty that can come from a mix of diverse colors and backgrounds. The singer expresses their love and admiration for the person they are singing to because they are not afraid to let their true colors show, despite whatever challenges or judgments they may face from the world around them.
The second verse is an invitation to smile and to share joy with others instead of getting lost in the difficulties of life. The singer reminds the person that they can count on them to be there through the difficult times and encourages them to keep shining their true colors brightly.
Overall, Eva Cassidy's rendition of "True Colors" is a powerful and moving anthem for people to be confident in themselves and to share their true selves with the world.
Line by Line Meaning
You with the sad eyes
You appear to be sad and distressed through the look of your eyes.
Don't be discouraged
Don't lose hope or get disheartened by the circumstances.
Though I realize
It's hard to take courage
I understand that it could be challenging and needs courage to overcome the difficult situations.
In a world full of people
Living in a densely populated world.
You can lose sight of it all
In such an environment, one might lose track of their aspirations and dreams.
And the darkness there inside you
Makes you feel so small
The negativity within can make you feel helpless and insignificant.
But I see your true colors
Shining through
However, I can see your real personality traits that are shining through.
See your true colors
That's why I love you
I adore and love you for who you are as a person.
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
You should be confident and comfortable enough to show your true self to others.
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow
No matter who you are, the real you is beautiful and attractive in every way possible.
Show me a smile then
And don't be unhappy
Please share a smile with me and don't be sad.
Can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
I don't recall seeing you genuinely happy and laughing lately.
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
If the crazy world has exhausted you beyond your limits,
You can call me up
Because you know I'll be there
Reach out to me for support, and I'll be there for you.
And I see your true colors
Shining through
Even in difficult times, I can see the real you shining through.
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
You shouldn't be hesitant to express yourself to the world.
Your true colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow
Like the charm and beauty of a rainbow, your true colors are captivating and lovely.
Oh oh oh I can't remember
When I last saw you laugh
Once again, I can't recall seeing you genuinely happy and having a good laugh.
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
When the world drives you insane, and you can no longer bear the pain,
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there
You can always count on me for help and support.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@beckythomas5755
On this day 25 years ago we lost this beautiful artist . She , however , lives in our hearts . Love you EVA
@gailjestus5734
Yes, miss her so, and how much more she would have shared with us musically!
@shmeesexznight118
I miss her…
@user-lz7vb2ym5h
Erererterrrrrerrrrerreeereeree
@andycross8385
Yes we miss her wonderful voice Rest in Peace
@briancorrigan5746
God love her ♥ 💚
@lisadee1623
To Eva’s family - we’ll never forget her. She brought so much joy with her angelic voice.
@dollsandkawaiitoys
Yes, you are beautiful Eva...RIP angel.
@adambrown2647
She is an irreplaceable loss to the world. Her voice moves me to tears. Every. Damn. Time.
@SpiritualSpectrum
Same