Nick Drake was an early bloomer …
An immensely talented, yet little known British singer-songwriter, Drake died lonely and depressed in his parents home of an overdose in 1974, at the age of 26.
Nick Drake was perhaps an ideal example of the early bloomer. He bloomed so early in fact, that virtually no one knew of him until long after he was gone.
Pink Moon … his last of three albums, was released in 1972 and like his first two, it was not a big success in his lifetime.
Actually, it was only when Volkswagen selected the title cut from Pink Moon as the soundtrack in their 2000 commercial that Drake actually began to receive widespread attention.
Listen to “Pink Moon” …
http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=CaTNFZ8g–M&feature=related
If you still don’t recognize him, you can catch a small snippet of one of Nick’s brighter songs called “From the Morning” in the latest AT&T commercial … yes, the one featuring orange fabric being draped over large buildings and landmarks across the country.
Click here and listen … if you watch TV at all, you’ll recognize the tune immediately.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2JjJPDz3EE
And perhaps my favorite Nick Drake song of all … called “Which Will” … I simply cannot listen to the song and stay stressed out. See if you don’t agree.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKGS0tm_Loo&feature=related
Nick Drake is still not widely known or appreciated. His body of work, though brilliant, is small and during his lifetime he avoided both live performances and interviews. If any video exists of Nick Drake playing or even simply talking, I have not been able to locate it on the web.
Unlike the actor James Dean, Drake’s artistic contributions did not immediately become posthumous sensations.
Nick wasn’t at Woodstock, nor did he die in a blazing car wreck of plane crash. He really wasn’t around very long at all, and his early death didn’t provide his legacy with the enormous exposure of Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix.
No, Nick Drake bloomed briefly in the early 70’s … was loved and appreciated by a small group of devoted fans … and passed from the scene largely unoticed by the rest of the world.
Footprints in the Sand ... 
How sad. I probably never would have really noticed his songs in either of those commercials if not for the fact that you just pointed them out here in your post. While listening to Pink Moon, I realized what a beautiful and calming song it is, and wondered how it could possibly have escaped my notice before now.
Hi Terri. Good to hear from you again. So glad you enjoyed your first exposure to “Pink Moon” …
Judson
I discovered Nick Drake only a few years ago, thanks to XM radio.
Whenever I feel the need to rewind, and find some inspiration, I love to listen to “Northern Sky” from the Bryter Layter album.