- Born: June 19, 1948 in Rangoon, Burma
- Years Active: 1997-1974
- Genre: Rock & Alternative
- Influenced by: Shane Bartell
- Followed By: The Shins, La Buena Vida, Gwendolyn, Tom Brosseau, Hope Sandoval, Tim Bowness, Winterpills, matt pond PA, Ron Sexsmith, Kings of Convenience, Dietrich Kammer, Walt Mink, José González, Jeff Fielder, Marc Teamaker, Piers Faccini, Grizzly Bear, Yonlu, Kelley Stoltz, Le Mans, Lady of the Sunshine, Nicky P., Glorytellers, Kalli, Slumber Party, Audra Kubat, Jeff Merchant, Fruit Bats, Trashmonk, Sin Fang Bous, Jeremy Enigk, John Smith, Magnetic Fields, De Rosa, Tyko, Wisdom of Harry, Tunng, Pullman, King Creosote, Liz Durrett, Blanket, Juliet Turner, Fazzini, Jamie Cullum, Iron & Wine, Chris Garneau, Shane Bartell, Ian Axel, John Cunningham, El Hombre Burbuja, Minor Majority, Josh Ritter, Lambchop, Son, Ambulance, Snow Patrol, Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love, Grogshow, Helena Espvall, David Garside, Twin Atlas, Josh Pyke, Ben Marshall, Nick Castro, Julie Doiron, Sea Wolf, Sodastream, Rose Polenzani, Patrick Watson, Things In Herds, Facts About Funerals, Nathan Oliver, Heidi Berry, Thomas Cunningham, Normann Mertig, Adrian Crowley, Vanessa Daou, Samamidon, Linda Draper, The One AM Radio, Andy Burrows, Bayside, Sondre Lerche, Lori Carson, Birdlips, Whistler, Ed Laurie, The Cubby Creatures, Amanda Thorpe, Ane Brun, James Yorkston, Syd Matters, Jamie Barnes, Shearwater, The Whiles, Belle & Sebastian, Rafter Roberts, The Tallest Man on Earth, Beth Orton, Kathryn Williams, Drew Andrews, South, Dolorean, The Children's Hour, Sophie Zelmani, Terry White, King Wilkie, Elvis Perkins, Christopher O'Riley, Fionn Regan, Shelleyan Orphan, Paper Round Kid, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Johnathan Rice, Chappaquiddick Skyline, Tobias Fröberg, Tom Baxter, Ola Podrida, Romantica, The Peter Bruntnell Combination, The Second Grace, Mr. Wright, Farhad, The Clientele, The Falling Leaves, Daníel Ágúst, Brian Cullman, Rivulets, Elliott Smith, Bart Davenport, Nicolai Dunger, Isobel Heyworth, Goats in Trees, The Boy Least Likely To, Meredith Bragg, Peter and the Wolf, Jeff Buckley, Mojave 3, Jason Anderson, This Is Ivy League, The Pernice Brothers, John Wolfington, The Prayer Boat, Crooked Fingers, Vending Machine, Michael Talbott & The Wolfkings, Happy Puppies, Shannon Wright, Ashton Allen, Fields, Scott T. Appel, Neil Halstead, Caroline LaVelle, Unkle Bob, Doug Hoekstra, Will Oldham, Tram, Rachel Unthank, Canon Blue, Devendra Banhart, Eric Matthews, The Playwrights
- Similar Artists: Sibylle Baier, Voice of the Seven Woods, Leonard Cohen, Sandy Denny, The Incredible String Band, Bert Jansch, John Martyn, Ralph McTell, Fred Neil, Syd Barrett, John Cale, Donovan, Fairport Convention, Roy Harper, Elton John, Nico, Al Stewart, Richard Thompson, The Velvet Underground, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Michael Chapman, Keith Christmas, Bill Fay, Wizz Jones, Bridget St. John, Scott Walker, Françoise Hardy, Joe Boyd, Anne Briggs, Duncan Browne, Van Morrison, Eric Matthews, Kari Newhouse, Bailey
A singular talent who passed almost unnoticed during his brief lifetime, Nick Drake produced several albums of chilling, somber beauty. With hindsight, these have come to be recognized as peak achievements of both the British folk-rock scene and the entire rock singer/songwriter genre. Sometimes compared to Van Morrison, Drake in fact resembled Donovan much more in his breathy vocals, strong melodies, and the acoustic-based orchestral sweep of his arrangements. His was a much darker vision than Donovan's, however, with disturbing themes of melancholy, failed romance, mortality, and depression lurking just beneath, or even well above, the surface. Ironically, Drake has achieved a far greater stature in the decades following his death, with an avid cult following that grows by the year.
Part of Drake's failure to attract a mass audience was attributable to his almost pathological reluctance to perform live. It was at a live show in Cambridge, however, that a member of Fairport Convention saw Drake perform, and recommended the singer to producer Joe Boyd. Boyd, already a linchpin of the British folk-rock scene as the producer for Fairport and the Incredible String Band, asked Drake for a tape, and was impressed enough to give the 20-year-old a contract in 1968.
Drake's debut, Five Leaves Left (1969), was the first in a series of three equally impressive, and quite disparate, albums. With understated folk-rock backing (Pentangle bassist Danny Thompson plays bass on most of the cuts), Drake created a vaguely mysterious, haunting atmosphere, occasionally embellished by tasteful Baroque strings. His economic, even pithy, lyrics hinted at melancholy, yet any thoughts of despair were alleviated by the gorgeous, uplifting melodies and Drake's calm, measured vocals. Bryter Later (1970) was perhaps his most upbeat effort, featuring support from members of Fairport Convention, and traces of jazz in the arrangements. On some cuts, the singer/songwriter, remarkably, dispensed with lyrics altogether, offering only gorgeous, orchestrated instrumental miniatures that stood well on their own.
Neither album sold well, and Drake, already a brooding loner, plunged into serious depression that often found him unable to make music, work, or even walk and talk. He managed to produce one final full-length work, Pink Moon (1972), a desolate solo acoustic album that ranks as one of the most naked and bleak statements in all of rock. He did record a few more songs before his death, but no more albums were completed, although the final sessions (along with some other fine unreleased material) surfaced on the posthumous compilation Time of No Reply.
Drake's final couple of years were marked by increasing psychiatric difficulties, which found him hospitalized at one point for several weeks. He had rarely played live during his days as a recording artist, and at one point declared his intention never to record again, although he wished to continue to write songs for others. (It's been reported that French chanteuse Françoise Hardy recorded some of Drake's songs, but she hasn't released any.) On November 26, 1974, he died in his parents' home from an overdose of antidepressant medication; suicide has been speculated, although some of his family and friends dispute this.
In the manner of the young Romantic poets of the 19th century who died before their time, Drake is revered by many listeners today, with a following that spans generations. Baby boomers who missed him the first time around found much to revisit once they discovered him, and his pensive loneliness speaks directly to contemporary alternative rockers who share his sense of morose alienation. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide