Eric Von Schmidt

“For here is a man who can sing the bird off the wire and the rubber off the tire. He can separate the men from the boys and the note from the noise. The bridle from the saddle and the cow from the cattle. He can play the tune of the moon. The why of the sky and the commotion from the ocean. Yes he can.”

Eric Von Schmidt was associated with the folk/blues revival of the 60's and a key part of the East Coast folk music scene; a scene which included Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. A talented singer-songwriter in his own right, Eric was known mostly for his association with Bob Dylan during the early years of Bob's career.

“The Folk Blues of Eric von Schmidt” appeared strategically placed atop a pile of records on the cover of Dylan’s album “Bringing It All Back Home” .



Eric shared his large repertory of traditional music, passing them along to new performers who were developing a more modern version of folk music.

Eric is widely (and erroneously) credited as the author of the song “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down”, which was for years a staple of Dylan's musical catalogue.

Dylan verbally credited the song to “Rick von Schmidt” in the spoken introduction to the song on his 1961 debut album, and told of meeting him “in the green pastures of Harvard University.” But in fact, Von Schmidt had himself adapted the song from Blind Boy Fuller.

Blind Boy Fuller was a blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the Piedmont blues artists that also included Reverend Gary Davis, Blind Willie McTell and Blind Blake.

When Eric Von Schmidt first met Bob Dylan, the two traded harmonica licks, drank red wine and played croquet. Dylan eagerly absorbed Eric's voluminous knowledge of music, including folk, country and the blues.














Years later Eric told The Boston Globe: “I sang him [Dylan] a bunch of songs, and, with that spongelike mind of his, he remembered almost all of them when he got back to New York.”

Amazingly Von Schmidt had a parallel career as a painter, and created album covers for Baez, Cisco Houston, John Renborn, Reverend Gary Davis, Geoff and Maria Muldaur, the Blue Velvet Band, Jackie Washington and for James Baldwin's readings.

In the final 30 years of his life, Eric recorded only two records, and instead focused entirely on his art career.

Four years before his death, Eric painted his last epic of American history. The canvas' subject was of Lewis and Clark's Corp of Discovery honoring its bicentennial. He also continued work on his "Giants of the Blues" series of paintings.


He painted up until his death, and completed an epic mural of the Battle of the Alamo.

Eric suffered a stroke in August 2006, and died months later in February of 2007.

He was 75.

SPOKEN: I first heard this from Ric von Schmidt. He lives in Cambridge, Ric's a blues guitar player, I met him one day on the green pastures of Harvard University.

Baby, let me follow you down, baby, let me follow you down,
Well, I'll do anything in this Godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
Can I come home with you, baby, can I come home with you?
Yes, I'd do anything in this Godalmighty world
If you just let me come home with you.

Baby, let me follow you down, baby, let me follow you down,
Well, I'll do anything in this Godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down,
yes, I'll do anything in this Godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.