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Nick Drake
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Nick Drake was born on 19 June 1948 in Rangoon in Burma, the son of an English engineer. In 1951 the family returned to England, to Tanworth-in-Arden in Warwickshire. His mother wrote songs herself and encouraged him; he learned piano, clarinet and saxophone and played at school in a band with R&B and jazz standards. In 1967 he began a degree in English literature at Cambridge. There, before he had finished, he signed with Island Records at the age of twenty. He made the recordings for his debut alongside his studies.
Music and breakthrough
His first album Five Leaves Left was released in 1969, followed by Bryter Layter in 1971 and Pink Moon in 1972. Drake was an excellent acoustic guitarist and his songs have a vulnerable, restrained tone. He suffered from depression and was reluctant to perform. After Pink Moon he withdrew from recording and performing and went to live with his parents again. On 25 November 1974 he died at the age of twenty-six from an overdose of antidepressants.
Influence
During his lifetime he reached very few listeners. Recognition came only after his death. The compilation Fruit Tree from 1979 ensured that his work was listened to again, and many later artists cite him as an influence. His name today stands for the quiet, personal side of the folk of the 1960s and 1970s, the opposite of the big stages of rock.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1969Five Leaves Left
- 1971Bryter Layter
- 1972Pink Moon
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- After Hours: Session 4NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- The new piano trio Genre
Brad Mehldau played songs by Radiohead and Nick Drake.