Nick Drake

Nick Drake

Nick Drake was born in Burma but was brought up in England, in rural Warwickshire. The Drake family were musical and Nick Drake was brought up in an environment atune to classical music. His earliest musical desire was to conduct an orchestra. Drake went to university in Cambridge, to the then-new Fitzwilliam college. He studied English there, and fell in love with the poetry of William Blake. He was spotted by Fairport Convention's Ashley Hutchings. He was soon offered a recording contract. Drake recorded just three albums in what was to be a short-lived career. Reviews of the first album were not very enthusiastic, and that depressed Drake. He had a vision of his music which others did not seem to share. The story of Nick Drake is a tragic one. At the age of 26 he accidentally took anti-depressants instead of sleeping pills. Just one pill above the recommended dose was lethal. His mother found him dead the next morning. After his death, popularity of Nick Drake's music has soared. His best material found its way onto the Fruit Tree compilation.