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Currently 4.5 out of 10 votes
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Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney Drake (June 19, 1948 – November 25, 1974) was an English singer/songwriter known for his gentle, autumnal songs and his virtuoso right-hand fingerpicking guitar technique. Although he recorded only three albums, critics and fellow musicians hold his work in very high esteem. Drake failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime, which fueled his depression . Since his death, Drake's music has gained a significant cult following.
Drake's father, Rodney, worked as an engineer. Drake himself was born in Rangoon, Burma. When Nick was four, his family returned to Tanworth-in-Arden, a small village in Warwickshire, England, where the family had their roots. He attended English public boarding school at Marlborough College, where he learned to play the flute. As a young adult, Drake attended Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge where he studied English literature. His older sister, Gabrielle Drake, is a British actress.
Drake was a fan of the British and emerging American folk music scene, including Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. While a university student, Drake began performing in local clubs and coffee houses. He was discovered by Ashley Hutchings, the bass player of the folk rock group Fairport Convention. Hutchings introduced Drake to the other members of Fairport Convention, folk singer John Martyn and producer Joe Boyd.
Drake's associates convinced Island Records to sign the young singer/songwriter to a three-album contract. At the age of twenty, he released his first album Five Leaves Left (1969), which featured a chamber music quartet on several songs and had a light, breezy sound. Drake's second album Bryter Layter (1970) introduced a more upbeat, jazzier sound, with keyboards and several brass instruments. Both albums were produced by Boyd and featured several members of Fairport Convention.
Many accounts of Drake focus on his mythology, but a large part of his enduring popularity is due to his meticulous songwriting, prosody, odd guitar tunings and lyricism.
Drake was acutely shyDarker Than the Deepest Sea: The Search for Nick Drake (2006), (Hardback), Afterword, P216. Portrait. ISBN 0749950951'' and...
Biography
Drake's father, Rodney, worked as an engineer. Drake himself was born in Rangoon, Burma. When Nick was four, his family returned to Tanworth-in-Arden, a small village in Warwickshire, England, where the family had their roots. He attended English public boarding school at Marlborough College, where he learned to play the flute. As a young adult, Drake attended Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge where he studied English literature. His older sister, Gabrielle Drake, is a British actress.
Drake was a fan of the British and emerging American folk music scene, including Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. While a university student, Drake began performing in local clubs and coffee houses. He was discovered by Ashley Hutchings, the bass player of the folk rock group Fairport Convention. Hutchings introduced Drake to the other members of Fairport Convention, folk singer John Martyn and producer Joe Boyd.
Drake's associates convinced Island Records to sign the young singer/songwriter to a three-album contract. At the age of twenty, he released his first album Five Leaves Left (1969), which featured a chamber music quartet on several songs and had a light, breezy sound. Drake's second album Bryter Layter (1970) introduced a more upbeat, jazzier sound, with keyboards and several brass instruments. Both albums were produced by Boyd and featured several members of Fairport Convention.
Many accounts of Drake focus on his mythology, but a large part of his enduring popularity is due to his meticulous songwriting, prosody, odd guitar tunings and lyricism.
Drake was acutely shyDarker Than the Deepest Sea: The Search for Nick Drake (2006), (Hardback), Afterword, P216. Portrait. ISBN 0749950951'' and...
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