Nick Drake

Nick Drake became interested in music at an early age. Both of his parents were musicians and he began playing piano as a little kid. His one older sister, Gabrielle, also entered the entertainment industry and went on to become a successful film and TV actress. Drake began recording as a child as well, using a reel-to-reel tape machine his mother kept in the family room.

In the early '60s, Nick Drake became heavily involved in sports while attending public school at Marlborough College in Wiltshire, England. He became an accomplished sprinter and set the record for the 100-yard dash.

Nick Drake formed his first band, The Perfumed Gardeners, in 1964 with several of his classmates. The band played originals as well as covers by bands like The Yardbirds and Manfred Mann, which were popular at the time. One notable member of The Perfumed Gardeners was Chris de Burgh, who later went on to record the successful 1986 hit "Lady In Red."