Born in Burma in 1948, Drake was a young boy when he moved to England. Signs of his intellect were discovered early whilst at Marlborough School where he progressed to Cambridge University. Initially he played his guitar at the University just as a hobby but then rather reluctantly agreed to perform at various gigs across the city. Drake was an extremely withdrawn and shy character.

He was discovered by Ashley Hutchings of Fairport Convention at one of his early gigs and was introduced to Joe Boyd - who was so impressed of that he agreed to produce his first album 'Five Leaves Left'.
The album illustrated the intense maturity beyond his years that Drake possessed and was complimented by lush orchestrations set up by Boyd.

After moving to London his second album was produced, titled 'Bryter Layter', which was just as critically acclaimed as the first effort.
Musically the album showed Drake's love of Jazz and showed him in a more positive state of mind. The constant pressure of touring these albums resulted in the already reclusive artist to become even more heavily withdrawn, falling into a deep depression. This state of mind resulted in the release of 'Pink Moon' which was a dense, tortured masterpiece... and his final.
All three of his albums were commercial failures. Alluded by commercial approval, Drake sadly overdosed on anti depressants on 25th November 1974, the coroner's verdict returned as 'death by suicide'. After his death a large amount of public interest resulted in box set 'Fruit Tree' being released as well as several bootlegs and posthumous recordings of varying degrees of quality

- T. J Hart


Official Biography


Born into an upper middle-class background, Drake was raised in Tanworth-in-Arden, near Birmingham. Recordings made at his parents' home in 1967 revealed a blossoming talent, indebted to Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, yet clearly a songwriter in his own right. He enrolled at Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge, and during this spell met future associate Robert Kirby. Drake also made several live appearances and was discovered at one such performance by Fairport Convention bassist, Ashley Hutchings, who introduced the folk singer to their producer Joe Boyd. A series of demos were then completed, parts of which surfaced on the posthumous release Time Of No Reply, before Drake began work on his debut album.

Five Leaves Left was a mature, melodic collection which invoked the mood of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks or Tim Buckley's Happy Sad. Drake's languid, almost unemotional intonation contrasted with the warmth of his musical accompaniment, in particular Robert Kirby's temperate string sections. Contributions from Richard Thompson (guitar) and Danny Thompson (bass) were equally crucial, adding texture to a set of quite remarkable compositions. By contrast Bryter Layter was altogether more worldly, and featured support from emphatic, rather than intuitive, musicians. Lyn Dobson (flute) and Ray Warleigh (saxophone) provided a jazz-based perspective to parts of a selection which successfully married the artist's private and public aspirations. Indisputably Drake's most commercial album, the singer was reportedly stunned when it failed to reap due reward and the departure of Boyd for America accentuated his growing misgivings.

A bout of severe depression followed, but late in 1971 Nick resumed recording with the harrowing Pink Moon. Completed in two days, its stark, almost desolate atmosphere made for uncomfortable listening, yet beneath its loneliness lay a poignant beauty. Two songs, "Parasite" and "Place To Be" dated from 1969, while "Things Behind The Sun" had once been considered for Bryter Layter. These inclusions suggested that Drake now found composing difficult, and it was 1974 before he re-entered a studio. Four tracks were completed, of which "Black Eyed Dog", itself a metaphor for death, seemed a portent of things to come. On 25 November 1974, Nick Drake was found dead in his bedroom. Although the coroner's verdict was suicide, relatives and acquaintances feel that his overdose of a prescribed drug was accidental. Interest in this ill-fated performer has increased over the years and his catalogue contains some of the era's most accomplished music. Drake is now seen as a hugely influential artist.