"River Man" is the second listed song from Nick Drake's 1969 album Five Leaves Left. According to Drake's manager, Joe Boyd, Drake thought of the song as the centrepiece of the album. In 2004 the song was remastered and released as a 7" vinyl and as enhanced CD single including a video to the song by Tim Pope.
River Man
Nicholas Rodney Drake was an English singer-songwriter. An accomplished acoustic guitarist, Drake signed to Island Records at the age of twenty while still a student at the University of Cambridge. His debut album, Five Leaves Left, was released in 1969, and was followed by two more albums, Bryter Layter (1971) and Pink Moon (1972). While Drake did not reach a wide audience during his brief lifetime, his music found critical acclaim and he gradually received wider recognition following his death.
Drake in 1969
Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire, where Drake was raised
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where Drake studied English literature
The grave where Drake's ashes are buried with those of his parents. The gravestone is inscribed with the epitaph "Now we rise / And we are everywhere", taken from the lyrics of "From the Morning", the final song on Drake's final album, Pink Moon.
