Who was Eva Cassidy?

Born in Washington, D.C., on 2 February, 1963, Eva Marie Cassidy grew up around music in Oxon Hill and Bowie, Maryland. Early on, she showed interest in art and music. Aged 9, her father wbegan teaching her to play the guitar, and at age 11, she started to sing and play guitar in a band called Easy Street.

Cassidy worked in a plant nursery by day and played in local clubs by night. Her recording career began when she visited producer Chris Biondo’s studio to sing backing vocals on a band’s demo record. Biondo was impressed and wanted to record her as a soloist and introduced her to Washington’s "king of go-go" Chuck Brown.

Following her untimely death on 2 November, 1996 from melanoma, 'Blix Street Records' released 'Songbird' in April, 1998. In the summer of 1998, 'Blix Street' also released 'Live At Blues Alley' and 'Eva by Heart', both nationally and internationally. 2008 saw the release of another new album, 'Somewhere'. An acoustic album, 'Simply Eva', was released in January 2011.

The Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) honored her and 'Live At Blues Alley' three weeks after her death, with nine WAMMIES, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Female Vocalist in four separate musical genres. They also inducted her into the 'WAMA Hall of Fame'.

As of 2011, her posthumously released recordings have sold more than ten million copies. Her music has also charted within the top 10 in Australia, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.