Drake began his career as a child actor. "I was five, and my dad kind of said, 'Hey, you wanna be an actor?' and I said, 'Sure!" [So] I did a commercial for Whirlpool sitting on a tree stump eating a popsicle that dripped all over my clothes. After that, I was like, "You know what? I think I'll just stick with this!" says Drake.

Drake began to sing and play the guitar at about eleven or tweleve years old and received lessons from The Who’s Roger Daltrey. "He was just shocked, because here was this twelve-year-old kid who knew about his band," recalls Drake. "He was just so real and cool. When I began playing guitar and writing songs, I fell in love with it right away. I started putting these little bands together and just kept going. When I was a kid, I wanted to be Elvis Presley so I could star in movies and TV while also playing music."

In 2000, Drake received a Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot" for his role as John Cusack’s son, Cage Redding, in the made-for-television film The Jack Bull. He also had a memorable role in Jerry Maguire, as the son of a hospitalized hockey player client of Tom Cruise. "He's the nicest guy," says Drake about Tom. "He was so good to me. He invited me into his trailer to play computer games. He treats everyone the same way."

Drake at the premier of Drake and Josh costar; Josh Peck's film; Ice Age 2

During this time period, he made a guest appearance on Nickelodeon's Zoey 101 and won a "Blimp Award" at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in the "Best Male TV Actor" category for Drake & Josh. Drake also had a notable role in the movie Yours, Mine and Ours’. He played character Dylan North.

Drake also had parts in the movies Drifting School, The Neon Bible, Dill Scallion, High Fidelity, and the television movies Dragonworld: The Legend Continues, Prefect Game, and Chasing Destiny. He appeared on the TV series Seinfeld, The Drew Carey Show, The Pretender, Home Improvement, and The Nightmare Room.

Drake at 2006 MTV Movie Awards

During the early 2000s, Drake was a featured performer on The Amanda Show before being cast as Drake Parker on the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh, which began airing in 2004. Drake says his character Drake Parker is merely an extension of the way he is in real life. "The character on the show is pretty much me," he says. He also made a television movie with Drake & Josh cast member Josh Peck, titled Drake & Josh Go Hollywood. The series just completed its fourth season. "It's really convenient my schedule is working out that way," Drake says. "Now that the show is over, I have plenty of time to go out and promote [my] album by playing live."

How does Drake describe his own music? "It's very Beatles, Beach Boys, but with a very modern sound," he says. "I'm a huge fan of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley, everything about them," he says. "The songs, the way they were as people, their style. I love all those old vinyl albums."

The cover of Drake's second album 'It's Only Time'

Drake's debut album, Telegraph, was released independently on September 27, 2005. His song, "Found a Way", which can be found on the album, is also the theme song for Drake & Josh. After releasing Telegraph, he signed with Universal Records. Drake’s latest single "I Know" was released on October 17th and his most recent CD, titled It's Only Time, was released on December 5th, 2006.

According to Drake, the best thing about music compared to acting is that "it’s completely personal--your own ideas. It's being able to express to the world how you feel, instead of how somebody else does. Right now, creatively for me, music is such a more rewarding outlet."

Drake and Josh

In late December of 2005, Drake was involved in a head-on collision on Los Angeles' Pacific Coast Highway. Since his car was a 1966 Ford Mustang, the steering wheel was made of wood and metal, the seatbelts were only around the waist, and there were no airbags. Because of this, his face smashed into the steering wheel, resulting in a broken jaw, a fractured neck, six lost teeth, and a six-inch cut on his chin. Drake’s jaw was wired shut for two months and he survived on a liquid diet. Because of Drake's condition, production of the final season of Drake & Josh was postponed for a few months while he recovered. "That's one of the reasons this [new] album is so upbeat and fun," Drake says. "I wake up every morning thinking I'm lucky to be alive."

Drake and Josh

That spirit comes through during Drake’s live shows with his band. "I love the instant gratification of playing live. When we play concerts, we have everyone from five and six-year-olds to teenagers to their parents and grandparents," he says. "The older people come up to me and tell me they enjoyed themselves as much as their kids. When you come to one of our shows, you can tell immediately we're not fake. The way we sing and play our instruments on-stage, no one can say it's contrived or pre-fabricated. It's real."

And how does Drake get ready before a big show? "I get super nervous before I get on stage," Drake says, "but we all just hang out and get really excited. We get juiced and get up there and play--it's awesome!"

Drake Fansites:
Drake Central (Our Site of the Month)
Drake Bell MX

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