Bob Dylan & Joan Baez 1965 Concert Poster Designed by Eric Von Schmidt, Graded 9.2 (AOR-1.101). ...

Description

Bob Dylan & Joan Baez 1965 Concert Poster Designed by Eric Von Schmidt, Graded 9.2 (AOR-1.101). An original first-print 1965 window card for a Bob Dylan / Joan Baez joint spring tour that was withdrawn shortly after getting initial use for just a few dates. This is the initial-run blank version just as pictured in The Art of Rock, which was waiting for the venue info to be entered at the top. This specimen received a 9.2 Near Mint Minus grade from CGC (the Certified Guaranty Company).

The late folksinger and respected graphic artist Eric Von Schmidt designed this popular Toulouse-Lautrec-inspired concert poster, and it's become a mainstay in many 1960's pop-culture poster collections. Even so, it's estimated to have been used for only a few weeks, from late February to late March of '65, if even that much.

Legend has it that Dylan didn't like the artwork, which may have slowed its use way down. Some cite the fact that Dylan is portrayed as a pure Washington Square folkie, even wearing his 1962 corduroy cap; or perhaps his nose looked too big; or maybe he was perceived as being second-billed to Baez. Most likely of all might be the fact that Dylan had just released his half-rocking Bringing It All Back Home album and had clearly left the folk scene in the dust.

This tour marked "the end of the acoustic innocence" for Mr. Dylan. On March 8, Columbia Records released his hard-rocking single "Subterranean Homesick Blues," startling folk purists. Another two weeks later and Dylan's half-electrified Bringing It All Back Home LP came out. The pop-music world would never be the same.

Printed on card stock and measures 13 x 21 3/8". From the Archives of Charlie Rothschild. COA from Heritage Auctions.

Literature: See Grushkin, Paul, The Art of Rock: Posters from Presley to Punk, Abbeville Press, New York, 1987, p.59 (illus.).

Charlie Rothschild is a music manager with a career that spanned decades. In his early career, Charlie booked musical acts at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village, most notably Bob Dylan in September 1961, Dylan's first paid gig in New York City. He went on to work for renowned manager Albert Grossman (Dylan, Peter, Paul & Mary, Janis Joplin). As a manager, touring manager and concert promoter himself, Charlie worked alongside folk and rock 'n' roll greats Bob Dylan, the Velvet Underground, Gordon Lightfoot, Judy Collins, Peter, Paul & Mary, Allen Ginsberg, Ian & Sylvia, The Clancy Brothers, Odetta, The Fugs and Pearls Before Swine, among others. Charlie also ran the storied 1960's New York City music venue Balloon Farm, before going out on his own in 1972.

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