There Before the Grace of You Go I
It’s very unusual for a cover to outstrip an original works. People usually fall in love with an original, then consider the cover or re-work to be a black mark on what they love. It’s even more rare that someone should cover Simon & Garfunkel and, in the eyes of some, improve a song. Eva Cassidy might just have done it.
Eva was born in 1963, in Washington, and played around that area in small bars and clubs for her whole aduly life. Unknown outside of her home state, in 1996 she noticed a small mole on her back accounting it’s pain to having spent a lot of time painting murals. Tests later revealed the melanoma have spread cancer to her lungs and bones, giving her less than 6 months to live.
In her final performance she played What a Wonderful World, to a group of friends, family, and fans. She died later that same year at her family home in Bowie, her ashes were spread in St. Mary’s River Watershed Park.
Four years later, British DJ Terry Wogan playing songs on BBC radio 2, played an Eva Cassidy song (Somewhere Over the Rainbow). The song hit a nerve with UK listeners, and an overwhelming response from radio listeners propelled Eva Cassidy to heights of fame she never imagined in her life. Songbird charted that same year at number #1 in the UK, US, and achieving top #10 placings in Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, and Denmark. Ultimatley Eva has sold in excess of 8 million records.
A close follower of Eva Cassidy, following her death, is quoted as saying “No, no, you’re wrong about this. It was a miracle that her voice was recorded at all. It’s not a loss. It’s a gift.”
I hope you enjoy one of the finest covers ever played. Kathys Song, by Eva Cassidy.
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