I can remember reading about Nick Drake many times before actually getting into his music. He was cited as an influence and an inspiration by so many other artists I admired. You may have heard his "Pink Moon" on that volkswagen commercial recently, but that only barely scratches the surface.

If you like your music melancholy, he is the king (and also produces some great acoustic guitar work as well). He is finally getting his due, with all of his four albums being re-released (and there is a box set called "Fruit Tree" that compiles all four, previous to the re-release). He has been covered by Duncan Sheik and others...look for him.

http://www.algonet.se/~iguana/DRAKE/DRAKE.html