Eva Cassidy: The Voice That Took Flight After She Was Gone
Eva Cassidy was an American vocalist and guitarist who didn’t find fame until years after her death.
An amateur recording of Eva performing Over The Rainbow at a small jazz nightclub called Blues Alley in Washington D.C. was played on Top of the Pops 2, a TV show in the UK.
Producer Mark Hagen initially had doubts about airing the clip due to its poor visual quality and amateur sound. But he took a chance—and aired it on December 13th, 2000.
The response was overwhelming. Viewers bombarded the studio with calls, desperate to learn more about the unknown singer behind the breathtaking performance.
Her previously released album Songbird (from 1997) quickly climbed the charts and eventually reached the top.
The attention brought by this chart success gave Eva Cassidy posthumous international fame and led to the sale of more than 10 million albums.
In the advanced acoustic guitar course, I break down her now-legendary live version of Over The Rainbow—note for note, mistakes included!
In my opinion, Eva’s rendition is the greatest amateur acoustic guitar arrangement ever recorded. And since Over The Rainbow was voted the best song of the 20th century, that’s saying something.
Once you’ve calmed down from how incredible her version is, check out some of her other unforgettable covers:
- Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers)
- Autumn Leaves (Chet Baker)
- Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
- Kathy’s Song (Simon & Garfunkel)
- Summertime (Billie Holiday)
- Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)
All of these are covers, but she truly makes them her own.
If you’re aiming to become a respected artist, start by performing covers and focus on making them your own. Music history is full of artists who followed this path—just as it’s filled with those who jumped straight into writing but never developed true depth.
Eva Cassidy Tunes | Related Pages
Ain’t No Sunshine | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, chord analysis, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Am7 Em G5 | Am7 | Am7 Em G5 |
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone, it’s not warm when she’s away…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Ain’t No Sunshine – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Autumn Leaves | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Autumn Leaves by Chet Baker using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Am7 | D7 | Gmaj7 | Cmaj7 |
The falling leaves drift by my window…
Over The Rainbow | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, chord analysis, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Gsus2 /F# | Em /D | Bm7b13 | G7 Amadd4 /B |
Somewhere over the rainbow…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Over The Rainbow – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Summertime | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Summertime by Billie Holiday using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bbm7 F7b9/C | Db6 F7b9/C | Bbm7 F7b9/C | Db6 F7b9/C |
Summertime and the living is easy…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Summertime (Billie Holiday) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Eva Cassidy on the web
