There’s something haunting about brilliance that goes unnoticed. Artists who pour their souls into their craft, only to fade away before the world catches up to what they created. These aren’t just sad stories, they’re reminders that sometimes genius takes time to be understood.
The music industry has witnessed countless talents that slipped through the cracks during their lifetimes, only to be rediscovered and celebrated years, sometimes decades, after their deaths. These musicians left behind legacies that would eventually touch millions, yet they never experienced the recognition they so desperately deserved. Let’s dive into the stories of three extraordinary artists whose stardom arrived too late.
Nick Drake: The Shy Troubadour Who Found Fame in a Volkswagen Commercial
Original ad: Billboard, page 48, 31 July 1971, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=141161522)
Nick Drake’s delicate, melancholic songwriting was years ahead of its time. He was born in England in 1948 and died in 1974, having recorded only three albums during his lifetime. His introspective lyrics and intricate fingerpicking failed to find commercial success during his life.
He recorded three albums, Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter and Pink Moon by 1972, but none had sold more than 5,000 copies. The folk singer was painfully shy and awkward on stage, someone who seemed terrified of performing live. Those who saw him perform remember an awkward, nervous guy who seemed horribly uncomfortable and mumbled his way through his sets like someone who would really rather be anywhere but the stage.
Existing only on a £20-a-week retainer from Island Records, he lived in poverty, unable to buy new clothes. His mental health deteriorated rapidly in the early 1970s, and early on Nov. 25, 1974, after his meagre weekly retainer had expired, he took an overdose of an antidepressant called amitriptyline at his parents’ home where he was living. He was found dead by his mother that morning.
Then something remarkable happened. By the early ’80s, several big stars, including Robert Smith of The Cure, Kate Bush of REM, and Paul Weller, began to drop Drake’s name as an influence. And then came the Volkswagen commercial in 1999. People were entranced by the nearly 30-year-old song in the spot. Drake’s album sales spiked exponentially. Following the use of his track “Pink Moon” in a 1999 Volkswagen commercial, Nick Drake sold more copies of the album “Pink Moon” that year alone than in all the years since its 1972 release combined.
Eva Cassidy: The Voice That Found Its Audience Two Years After Silence
American singer Eva Cassidy had been performing for years, but was virtually unknown by the time she tragically died of melanoma in 1996, aged just 33. She was intensely shy and particular about her music, often bouncing between genres from jazz to folk to blues. Cassidy did overcome her self-consciousness long enough to release one solo album during her lifetime, which she financed herself and sold in person from the trunk of her car.
Eva Cassidy died without a record contract. Her cause of death was a malignant melanoma that spread to her lungs and her bones. The singer had the melanoma removed in 1993, but failed to follow up with her doctor in the months afterward. By 1996, she was experiencing pain in her hip. When she had it X-rayed, doctors learned the cancer had spread. She immediately started aggressive treatments, but it was too late. She died just two months later.
Her final performance was heartbreaking. She was bald from chemotherapy, her head covered in a black velvet cap, and she had to use a walker to get out on stage. She sang “What a Wonderful World.”
Two years after her death, everything changed. Cassidy’s music was brought to the attention of British fans, when her versions of ‘Fields of Gold’ and ‘Over the Rainbow’ were played on national radio. Soon after, her album Songbird was number one in the UK, and she has since sold over 10 million records around the world. A series of posthumous releases followed, three of which reached number one in the U.K. with total sales under 10 million copies.
Jeff Buckley: The Haunting Voice Silenced by the Mississippi
The emotional depth that Jeff Buckley showcased in his songs was beyond comprehension. He was truly one of the most gifted musicians, born in 1966. His first studio album, “Grace,” was released in 1994 but received modest success. Tragically, Buckley drowned in 1997 at the age of 30, just as his career was starting to pick up.
According to The Guardian, his financial woes were pretty severe. Despite signing what should have been a major money-making deal with Sony, Buckley’s debt issues were so bad that he couldn’t even fund a down payment on a $40,000 fixer-upper house. At first, Grace was a hard sell. It was a very good record, but outside of a cadre of early fans, Buckley was having a hard time gaining traction, despite spending close to three years on the road promoting the album.
The tragedy happened on a warm evening in Memphis. On the night of May 29, 1997, Jeff decided to wade into Wolf River Harbor, a channel of the Mississippi River. Fully clothed and already weighed down, he was caught in the wake of a passing boat and was pulled under. His body was found five days later. An autopsy ruled that he died of an accidental drowning.
After his death, his haunting rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” became iconic, achieving worldwide recognition. As the news of Buckley’s death spread, interest in the Grace album picked up considerably. Material for that second album was released under the title Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. His cover of “Hallelujah” has since become one of the most celebrated versions of the song, introduced to millions through films, television shows, and countless tribute performances.
