Eric Von Schmidt

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Eric Von Schmidt (born May 28, 1931 in Westport , Connecticut , † February 2, 2007 in Fairfield , Connecticut) was an American painter , illustrator and folk and blues singer , singer-songwriter of the folk / blues revival of the 1960s , who played a key role in the folk scene on the US East Coast and in the artists around Bob Dylan and Joan Baez .

His music lives on for decades through the interpretations of Travis MacRae and the late Jeff Buckley . Although he is sometimes not explicitly mentioned in connection with this era, as most of his recordings from the time are no longer available today, his name remains famous, even legendary, within the "Inner Circle" of folk music. In 2000 he was honored with the ASCAP Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award; On this occasion there was a celebration at which the Jim Kweskin Jug Band including Fritz Richmond as well as Geoff and Maria Muldaur performed together again.

Von Schmidt is best known among non-musicians for his song Baby, Let Me Follow You Down , which has been part of Bob Dylan's repertoire for years, and lists Von Schmidt as an author for Dylan's record label Columbia Records , although he is not an authorship himself complained for itself. Von Schmidt is also known for a large number of musical contributions to records by other musicians. He is also credited, along with Tom Rush , for having revived the song Wasn't That A Mighty Storm (about the 1900 hurricane that destroyed Galveston , Texas ) and arranging the most-played version of this song.

Von Schmidt's work as a painter and illustrator not only includes a number of book illustrations, but also a variety of record covers for music albums, including those for Joan Baez. He wrote the book Baby, Let Me Follow You Down with Jim Rooney and made at least one short film. No longer active as a musician, Eric Von Schmidt continued to paint and shortly before his death had completed an epic wall painting of the Battle of The Alamo .

Eric Von Schmidt's father was Harold Von Schmidt , a former illustrator for the Saturday Evening Post , who is best known for his “ Wild West ” and landscape painting .

Eric Von Schmidt most recently lived and worked in Westport , Connecticut , where he was recovering from throat cancer surgery. He also suffered a stroke in the summer of 2006 and died on February 2, 2007 in a rehabilitation clinic in Fairfield , Connecticut.

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personal data
SURNAME From Schmidt, Eric
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American painter, illustrator, and singer-songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH May 28, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Westport , Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH February 2, 2007
Place of death Fairfield , Connecticut