Overview

Experience the definitive biography of one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the twentieth century with this eye-opening book featuring a foreword by Gabrielle Drake and over 75 photos, many rare or previously unseen. In 1968, Nick Drake had everything to live for. The product of a loving, creative family and a privileged background, he was not only a handsome and popular Cambridge undergraduate, but also a new signing to the UK's hippest record label, Island. Three years later, however--having made three well reviewed but low-selling albums--Nick had been overwhelmed by a mysterious mental illness. He returned to live in his family home in rural Warwickshire in 1971, and died in obscurity in 1974, aged just 26. In the decades since, Nick has become the subject of ever-growing fascination and speculation. Combined sales of his records now stand in the millions, his songs are frequently heard on TV and in films, and he has become one of the most widely known and admired singer-songwriters of his generation. Nick Drake: The Life is the only biography of Nick to be written with the blessing and involvement of his sister and estate. Drawing on copious original research and new interviews with his family, friends, and musical collaborators, as well as deeply personal archive material unavailable to previous writers--including his father's diaries, his essays, and private correspondence--this is the most comprehensive and authoritative account possible of Nick's short and enigmatic life.

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9780306834950

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Reviews

"""[A] comprehensive biography... one feels like the fly on the wall of Drake's life as Jack provides the minutiae of his daily existence.""--SPIN ""In this meticulous and lovingly detailed account of Drake's work and too-short life, Jack succeeds in bringing to life a brilliant if oblique figure."" --Booklist ""The definitive biography... a worthy tribute to a talented artist gone too soon."" --Publishers Weekly ""This is the book we've been waiting for . . . It is a biography to be treasured.""--Joe Boyd"

"""This is the book we've been waiting for . . . It is a biography to be treasured.""--Joe Boyd"

"""In this meticulous and lovingly detailed account of Drake's work and too-short life, Jack succeeds in bringing to life a brilliant if oblique figure."" --Booklist ""The definitive biography... a worthy tribute to a talented artist gone too soon."" --Publishers Weekly ""This is the book we've been waiting for . . . It is a biography to be treasured.""--Joe Boyd"

Author Information

Richard Morton Jack is the editor of the music reference books Galactic Ramble and Endless Trip, and the author of Psychedelia: 101 Iconic Underground Rock Albums 1966-70. He founded Sunbeam Records, which has reissued over 100 rock, jazz and folk albums, and edits the rock history magazine Flashback. He is the co-founder of the music marketplace and archive elvinyl.com.

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