Eva Cassidy’s catalogue of recordings began that day in Chris Biondo’s studio where he, impressed with her talent, asked her to come back so he could record her as a soloist, eventually introducing her to Washington’s “King of Go-Go” Chuck Brown with whom she would make an album. That album would spawn her now iconic version of “Over the Rainbow,” which has been compared to Judy Garland’s as a definitive performance of that treasured American classic. Eva worked in a plant nursery by day and played in local clubs around her native Washington, DC by night, developing a loyal following for her intensely personal, highly eclectic musical style. Unable to secure a record deal that didn’t compromise her penchant for wide-ranging material, she cashed in a small pension to pay for the recording of her first album, LIVE AT BLUES ALLEY, in 1996. Nobody could have imagined that the audio and video recordings captured that night would prove to be the foundation of Eva Cassidy’s posthumous superstardom. SONGBIRD, the first compilation curated from the Blues Alley recordings and others she made during her short lifetime, has been certified Platinum in the U.S. for sales of more than 1 million units, while in the UK, the album is 6x Platinum and spent a total of six months in the UK Top 10 (two weeks of those at Number 1). She later had two other #1 albums on the UK chart and is one of a handful of female artists to have achieved ten British Gold albums. People Magazine wrote of SONGBIRD at the time: “Whether in jazz, folk, or inspirational music, Cassidy’s potential was huge, and this album stands as a testament to popular music’s loss.” Her taste and the breadth of her material have continued to propel interest in her finite recorded work all these years later. Her versions of iconic songs have made their way into myriad films and television programs, among them Maid in Manhattan, Smallville, CSI: Vegas, Dawson’s Creek and This Is Us. Writer/director Richard Curtis, who used Cassidy’s rendition of “Songbird” in his romantic holiday film Love, Actually, said of the new album: “This album is a real act of alchemy – intimacy and grandeur in perfect partnership.” There has also been continuing use of her arrangements and recordings on television talent shows such as The X Factor, The Voice, Masked Singer, American Idol, America’s Got Talent and Dancing With The Stars. Her guitar/vocal version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” served as the soundtrack for a recent Kay Jewelers’ national advertising campaign while her unique interpretation of Sting’s “Fields of Gold” urged the public to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Add to that the fact that artists ranging from Paul McCartney to Ozzy Osbourne to Adele have been quoted citing her as an influence and inspiration. Two-time Emmy™-winning producer/arranger William Ross, who created the album’s “Autumn Leaves” track, said: “I can’t possibly find the words to adequately express my thoughts and feelings about Eva, one of the most unique, hypnotic, and powerful singers of all time. Her voice resonates through my whole being. I don’t understand what she does to me…but I’m stunned by the experience. Those familiar with her have been changed forever.” Perhaps her hometown paper, the Washington Post said it best: “The saddest part of the mostly heartwarming story of singer Eva Cassidy is that she had to die to get the renown she deserved.” | 
