Book excerpt: Eva Cassidy’s story is one of the most compelling and poignant in recent music history. In this thoughtful and probing biography, Johan Bakker explores her brief performing career and the fame that only came after her death at the age of 33. A local performer, Eva Cassidy’s performance in Iceland was the closest she ever got to Europe. Yet her music has touched millions across the world. Her posthumously released albums, Imagine, Songbird, Simply Eva and Somewhere included three UK number ones have sold more than ten million copies. Interviewing Eva’s friends, colleagues and family in Washington D.C. and Maryland, Johan Bakker traces her short life, her idealism and her disillusionment with the business side of her trade.