William D. Drake

Quick Facts

Full Name	William D. Drake
Occupation	Songwriter
Date Of Birth	Feb 7, 1962(1962-02-07)
Age	62
Birthplace	Chelmsford
Country	United Kingdom
Birth City	England
Horoscope	Aquarius

William D. Drake Biography

William D. Drake is one of the most popular and richest Songwriter who was born on February 7, 1962 in Chelmsford, England, United Kingdom. William Derek Drake (born 7 February 1962 in Chelmsford) is an English musician piano, keyboardist as well as a composer and singer-songwriter. Drake is most well-known for his time as a part of the famous English rock group Cardiacs which he performed with for nine years , between 1983 until 1992. He was also part of The Sea Nymphs, North Sea Radio Orchestra, Nervous, Wood, Lake of Puppies and The Grown-Ups, as well as trying to establish an independent career as an artist. It is his distant relative of Nick Drake, an English musician and singer Nick Drake.

Drake was a full-time performing member in the band Cardiacs through the 1985 Cardiacs EP “Seaside Treats”, and was also featured for the group on their 1986 Big Ship mini-album and on the 1996 Rude bootleg album live. He also appeared on two Cardiacs 12″ singles “There’s Too Many Irons in the Fire” and “Is This the Life”. Drake also played a significant role on the following Cardiacs album which was 1998’s A Little Man and a House and a Whole World Window in which he composed the tracks “I’m Eating in Bed” and “The Whole World Window”. The year 1988 saw also the release of a second single that was”Susannah’s Still Alive”, a Kinks version of “Susannah’s Still Alive”, available with versions of 7″ & 12″ versions as well as an BBC Radio 1 sessions EP (Night Tracks (The Janice Long Session)) and as a live album, called Cardiacs Live.

By the late 1990s Drake had composed a very large number of original piano pieces, which Tim Smith then encouraged him to write lyrics for. Smith went on to produce sessions for Drake over the next few years, resulting in the release of the “Melancholy World” single in 2002, followed by Drake’s debut solo album William D.Drake which was released on Smith’s label All My Eye and Betty Martin Music in 2003. (The song “Fiery Pyre” from this album had also found its way onto the Cardiacs and Affectionate Friends compilation album in 2001.) As gig offers came in Drake put together a live band with a somewhat shifting line-up, the set list depending on which musicians were available. He played at various points over the next five years while working on new material and various projects.

Circa 1990 – while still with Cardiacs – Drake formed The Grown-Ups with himself on keyboards and vocals. This was a short-lived project notable for being the first time Drake worked with guitarist/composer Craig Fortnam (whom he’d later work with in Lake of Puppies and North Sea Radio Orchestra). The other band members were the then-current Cardiacs drummer Dominic Luckman and two other former Cardiacs members (keyboard player and co-singer Mark Cawthra and bass player Jon Bastable (from The Trudy and who’d been a backup Cardiac during Cawthra’s tenure in the band). The Grown-Ups recorded five songs, which have never been released.

In the meantime, Drake, Tim Smith and Sarah Smith formed a new group in tandem with Cardiacs and was initially called Mr Smith and Mr and Mrs Smith as well as Mr Drake. Although they had the Cardiacs sound was evidently central to the new group however, the rock guitars and drums were removed to be replaced by a soaring atmosphere of string sounds, subtle wintery Tinkling and chiming effects and heavenly vocals, using Drake’s piano serving as the primary instrument. It was awe-inspiring that all the music was recorded on four-track for the tape album from 1984 Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake. It was first available through the fan club as well as at Cardiacs concerts before it was made available on CD, by the Tim Smith label All My Eye and Betty Martin Music.

William D. Drake Net Worth

William D. Drake is one of the richest Songwriter from United Kingdom. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, William D. Drake 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Drake’s first appearance with Cardiacs was held at The Marquee Club in Wardour Street, London in August 1983, when he was supporting Here and Now. He joined the group at the end of sessions to record Their record The Seaside (released in 1984) and, as a result, only played only on “a couple of tracks”.

After leaving the art school, Drake took a telesales job, where he met the punk musician and singer Little Sue. He performed with her group Honour Our Trumpet at The Grey Horse in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1983. The sound engineer at the show is Tim Smith, otherwise known as the lead singer of the Kingston- based group Cardiacs which is a fast-growing famous group that has a passion for intricate compositions. Attracted by Drake’s talents, Smith immediately wrote out an intricate piece for Drake and he performed the piece effortlessly. Smith was then quick to recruit Drake into Cardiacs in a manner that he apparently informed Drake that he was part of the group regardless of whether he liked it not.

Drake’s compositional role in Cardiacs had increased by the time of the recording of the On Land and in the Sea album in 1989, for which he co- composed four songs – “I Hold My Love in My Arms” (featuring music he’d originally written at the age of fifteen), “The Duck and Roger the Horse”, “Mares Nest” and “The Ever So Closely Guarded Line”. He also appeared on the accompanying “Baby Heart Dirt” 7-and-12″ single. In 1990, Cardiacs recorded a live concert in Salisbury in which Drake was part of a seven-piece band. This was released as the Maresnest live video in 1992 and as the live album All That Glitters is a Mares Nest in 1995. The 1991 Songs For Ships and Irons compilation collected together various EP tracks originally released between 1986 and 1987 (including two songs co-written by Drake, “Tarred and Feathered” and “Blind in Safety and Leafy in Love”).

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

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Who is William D. Drake Dating?

According to our records, William D. Drake is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, William D. Drake’s is not dating anyone.

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Soon after leaving Cardiacs Drake teamed up with Dean Gainsburgh-Watkins (bass guitar, formerly of Here and Now), Justin Travis (vocals), Richard “Dicky” Cripps (acoustic guitar), Keith Holden (harmonica), Bernie Holden (clarinet), Oscar O’Lachlainn (electric guitar and drums), Barney Crockford (drums) and Melvin Duffy (pedal steel guitar) to form the folk/country/rock band Nervous. Compared to Cardiacs, Nervous provided a rootsier songwriting style with opportunities for improvisation which appealed to Drake, who took the opportunity to familiarise himself with the Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano in addition to the pianos, harmoniums and synthesizers which he’d played previously. The band gigged in London regularly (with notable shows at the Royal Albert Hall and Ronnie Scott’s) and released an album called Son of the Great Outdoors on Grapevine Records in 1996. Some of the album was recorded in Paul McCartney’s Hoghill Studio in Sussex (reportedly, Richard Cripps was in a relationship with Paul’s daughter at the time).

Facts & Trivia

William Ranked on the list of most popular Songwriter. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United Kingdom. William D. Drake celebrates birthday on February 7 of every year.

The Sea Nymphs were briefly reactivated in 1998 and reissued their “Appealing to Venus” single on CD. The band played a Radio 1 John Peel Session on 4 October 1998 (performing “Eating A Heart Out”, “Lilly White’s Party”, “The Sea Ritual” and “Sea Snake Beware”), which was re-broadcast as a “classic Peel Session” on BBC Radio 6 on 4 May 2009. Drake had claimed that material for at least one more Sea Nymphs album had been recorded, but that the trio had not yet got round to finishing it off and releasing it, but second album On The Dry Land finally saw a release at the end of 2016.

Top Facts about William D. Drake

1. William D. Drake is a British musician and composer.
2. He was a founding member of the band Cardiacs.
3. Drake has released several solo albums since 2004.
4. His music blends elements of rock, folk, and classical genres.
5. He has collaborated with artists such as Julianne Regan and Tim Smith.
6. Drake’s music has been described as whimsical and surreal.
7. He is known for his intricate piano playing style.
8. Drake’s lyrics often explore themes of nature, nostalgia, and childhood memories.
9. He has performed at festivals such as Glastonbury and Green Man.
10. Drake continues to be an influential figure in the British underground music scene.