I was pleased recently to correct a glaring gap in my music
collection.
Before I get onto that, please indulge me whilst I drift off on
something of a tangent.
I’m a fan of Doctor Who and in 2010 during the Matt Smith
era, there was an episode where they travelled back in time and met the famous
Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh. There is a beautiful scene towards the end of
that episode where they bring van Gogh forward in time in the TARDIS to Paris.
They take van Gogh to the Musée d'Orsay to show just how influential and important his work was and
continues to be, recognition that sadly he did not receive during his troubled
lifetime. It’s one of my favourite Doctor Who scenes, with the wonderful portrayal
of van Gogh by Scottish actor Tony Curran. There is also a brilliant and uncredited
guest appearance from Bill Nighy.
At this point you’re probably thinking, “This is all well and good, but
what the heck does Doctor Who have to do with Eva Cassidy?”
I mention this as it seems to me that there are parallels
with the life and career of Eva Cassidy. Outside of the north eastern states of
the USA, she was largely unknown. She tragically passed away at the age of just
33, relatively unheard of in the music world.
As fine a singer as she undoubtedly was, she seemed ill at
ease performing in front of a big audience. I get the impression that she just
loved to sing but didn’t seek out fame and the pressure that this would have
brought.
I am a big fan of Canadian country artist Whitney Rose, who
summed up a similar attitude with the following message on Twitter this year:
A compilation album called “Songbird” was released in 1998,
but it was two of her songs being played on BBC Radio 2 a couple of years later
which really brought the music of Eva Cassidy to a much wider audience. On the
recommendation of his producer Paul Walters, breakfast show presenter Terry
Wogan played the music of this obscure American singer and the reaction was
incredible. A video of Cassidy singing “Over The Rainbow” became the most
requested video ever shown on Top of The Pops 2. On 18th March,
2001, “Songbird” went to Number 1 in the UK Album Chart.
Eva Cassidy’s music is timeless - it is a great pity that
she was not more celebrated during her lifetime. We are so lucky, however, that we have these recordings
and can celebrate the legacy that she has left behind. I would not hesitate to
tell anyone that she had one of the best singing voices of all time.
