Nick Drake Honoured With Tribute Concerts

As a series of concerts celebrating the life and work of folk singer Nick Drake get underway, his former producer has spoken of the working practices employed by the pair. Drake, who died in 1974 aged just 26, has been cited as a major influence by artists as diverse as Paul Weller and Radiohead.

Talking to BBC 6 Music, Joe Boyd -- who also worked with Pink Floyd at the start of their career and Fairport Convention amongst others -- said, "I learnt very early on in my experience of working with Nick that you didn't have to listen to him.

"I could just shut off his microphones and listen to all the other musicians and make sure they were playing right, and playing well, and getting the right feeling in the take, because Nick was always perfect. I've never worked with an artist like that. It was a huge pleasure to work with him."

The quartet of tribute concerts, entitled 'Way to Blue: Songs of Nick Drake', got underway at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall last night (Jan. 20) and will continue at the Brighton Dome (21), the Barbican Hall, London (22) and the Warwick Arts Centre (23) and feature a number of Drake's contemporaries including Vashti Bunyan and Teddy Thompson.

Ironically, Nick Drake has sold more copies of his three albums -- 'Five Leaves Left,' 'Bryter Layter' and 'Pink Moon' -- posthumously than he did when alive.