Chicago-born current Iowan  singer/songwriter BEN SCHMIDT  uses  his warm reedy mid-range voice and a powerful arsenal of fingerstyle and flatpicked guitar chops to texture his soulful compositions.

Mr. Schmidt’s self-taught approach to music is rooted in vintage folk and blues, but whether by himself on a lap slide guitar, or in front of a band, he takes the listener on a unique journey in every song. Since he first picked up a guitar at age twelve, Schmidt has refined his playing and writing skills, drawing comparisons to Leo Kotke, Kelly Joe Phelps, Tom Waits, Greg Brown and John Gorka.

Before performing as a musican, Ben Schmidt was variously, an actor, teacher, theatre designer, bike mechanic, and carpenter. Schmidt has performed primarily in Eastern Iowa with sporadic appearances in Chicago. His music has been played on KUNI, WSUI, KRUI, and KCCK in Iowa, and on Chicago’s WFMT folk showcase “The Midnight Special.” Ben has appeared both as a musical guest and as a featured guest artist for NPR’s live radio forum “Iowa Talks” on WSUI. He also been the featured guest of college radio KRUI.

His Debut CD is “Write it Down”. He also appears on the “M.U.S.E.“(Musician’s united to save the Englert (theatre)) compilation with Greg Brown, Dave Moore, David Zollo, and other Iowa Artist. Ben Schmidt currently lives with his wife and children in Iowa City, Ia.