The
Maryland Inn was one of the places Eva
really liked to play.
I gather it's pretty small, which she preferred.... "Woodstock"
was recorded there too, on the same night as "Time
After Time."
She loved Annapolis and was living there when she got
sick, at which time she moved back home.' (Laura
Bligh)
Is it so surprising Eva loved Annapolis
?
The Maryland
Inn, small and homely, with its fourposter beds, its
narrow corridors and its intimate ambience. Built
in 1772 on "Drummer's Lot" where town drummer
cried the daily news, and wedged into a busy triangle
intersection, this impressive flatiron shaped structure
has been in operation
as an inn since the 1770's. Not that they accept
just anyone as a
guest, as you can see from the 1786 Rules of the Inn.
No Thieves, Fakirs, Rogues or Tinkers. No skulking
loafers or flea-bitten Tramps.
No slap an' tickle o' the Wenches. No banging o' tankards
on the tables
No dogs allowed in the kitchen ,no cockfighting. Flintlocks,
cudgels, daggers and swords, to be handed to the Innkeeper
for safe-keeping.
Bed for the night 1 shilling .Stabling for the horse 4
pence
Its not difficult to see how a shy but brilliant artist
would feel at ease in this environment. As Laura Bligh
says:
'Eva liked to play there because it was small and people
really seemed to be
listening. Nobody ever expected that portions of that
tape would
be on an internationally-distributed CD! Almost everything
on TIME
AFTER TIME was recorded either as a demo tape or for the
purpose of self-critiquing. Funny how things turn out....'
The story of the Maryland Inn is as much part of Annapolis
as the State House.
George
Washington, of Virginia, was the Commander in Chief
of the Colonial Army during the American Revolution. He
is best known for serving as the first
president of the United States.This was a job that the
weary General Washington was not counting on when, on
December 23,1783, he took his leave of all the employments
of public life at the State House here in Annapolis.
When one reads about Eva
Cassidy, the Ocean often gets a mention. Maybe
another reason why she felt at home in Annapolis, having
the Chesapeake
Bay on its doorstep. Annapolis with its many art
galleries and intimate coffee shops.
Artists of the brilliance of Eva Cassidy are, they say,
more sensitive to their environment, their surroundings.
Having stayed in Annapolis and indeed having stayed
at the Maryland Inn, I can well understand why this
old town would be such a favourite with Eva. As a
European I am used to old towns, historic places, but
it does not mean
one feels at home there. Annapolis is different.
So I can well imagine a young brilliant singer making
her way through the old streets of Annapolis on her
bike, on her way to an art gallery, and stopping to
buy some delicious Ice cream, and loving it. Sitting
by the water front watching the boats come and go..........
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