Eva Cassidy

Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American vocalist who was described by the British newspaper The Guardian as "one of the greatest voices of her generation". Although possessing a soulful voice, an extraordinary range and a diverse repertoire of jazz, blues, folk, gospel and pop, she still remained virtually unknown outside of her native Washington, D.C., when she died of melanoma in 1996. However, her posthumously released recordings have since sold in excess of four million copies, and in early 2001 the compilation album Songbird reached number one on the U.K. album charts.

Posthumous Recognition & Popularity

In 1998 a compilation of tracks from Cassidy's three released recordings was assembled into the CD Songbird. This CD lingered in obscurity for a few years until being given airplay on BBC Radio Two by presenter Terry Wogan. In 2001 both the album and the single "Fields of Gold" reached number one status in the U.K. Sting, the songwriter for "Fields of Gold", was reportedly moved to tears when he heard Cassidy's version of this song. The Songbird CD also achieved significant chart success throughout Europe and has achieved gold status in the United States.

Related Topics:
1998 - BBC Radio Two - Terry Wogan - 2001 - Sting - Europe

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Since then, two further compilations have been released: Time After Time (2000) and Imagine (2002). In 2001 a book was released on the life and work of Cassidy, based on interviews with close family and associates. The hardcover edition has since sold in excess of 100,000 copies. The book is not yet published in the United States.

Related Topics:
2000 - 2002

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In March 2001, ABC's Nightline in the United States broadcast a well-received short documentary about Eva Cassidy. A similar broadcast occurred on ITV's Tonight with Trevor McDonald in Great Britain in May 2001.

Related Topics:
2001 - ABC - ITV

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In 2002, figure skater Michelle Kwan brought Cassidy's music to a new audience when she skated to Eva's recording of "Fields of Gold" at the Winter Olympics gala (and then later on tour during the northern summer of 2002). Eva's performance of Kathy's Song can be heard in the film Maid in Manhattan which was released in 2002 as well.

Related Topics:
2002 - Michelle Kwan - Winter Olympics - Maid in Manhattan

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In 2003 Georgian singer Katie Melua released her song Faraway Voice, in memory of Cassidy.

Related Topics:
2003 - Georgian - Katie Melua

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In 2003, American Tune became Eva's third consecutive number one album in the U.K. No other recording artist in popular music history has been able to match this posthumous success, including Elvis Presley. Eva's song Songbird was featured in the film Love Actually, which was released in the fall of 2003.

Related Topics:
2003 - Elvis Presley - Love Actually

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A DVD of Eva performing many of her signature songs, entitled Eva Sings, was released in 2004 in the UK. It is not currently available in the U.S. region.

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