Nick Drake

Nick Drake's three albums, released between 1969 and 1972, found only a limited audience during his lifetime, yet his work was reassessed after his death and later reached a far wider public. An accomplished acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter, he signed to Island Records at 20 while studying at the University of Cambridge.

Born Nicholas Rodney Drake on 19 June 1948, he released his debut, Five Leaves Left, in 1969. It was followed by Bryter Layter in 1971 and Pink Moon in 1972. His music joined intricate acoustic guitar playing with a restrained vocal delivery and songwriting that drew on folk while allowing room for chamber-like and pop arrangements.

Drake suffered from depression and was reluctant to perform before live audiences. After completing Pink Moon, he withdrew from performing and recording and returned to his parents' home in rural Warwickshire. He died there on 25 November 1974, aged 26, from an overdose of antidepressants.

His recordings remained in circulation during the mid-1970s, and the 1979 retrospective Fruit Tree prompted renewed attention to his catalogue. A first English-language biography appeared in 1997, followed by the documentaries A Stranger Among Us in 1999 and A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake in 2000. Drake has since been cited as an influence by numerous artists.