Nick Gravenites
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicholas George Gravenites (born October 2, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois), known as Nick "The Greek" Gravenites and Gravy, is a blues, rock and folk singer/songwriter and is best known for his work with Janis Joplin and several other greats of the era. Nick currently resides in Sebastopol, CA.
According to author and pop music critic Joel Selvin, Nick Gravenites is "the original San Francisco connection for the Chicago crowd." Gravenites is credited as a "musical handyman" helping such San Francisco bands as Quicksilver Messenger Service and Janis Joplin's first solo group. Nick wrote Janis's song "Buried Alive In The Blues", but she died the night before her scheduled time in the studio and the song appeared as an instrumental on her album. He was also a songwriter for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which consisted of Elvin Bishop, Paul Butterfield, Michael Bloomfield, then formed The Electric Flag with Butterfield guitarist Mike Bloomfield. Nick is also responsible for writing the score for The Trip (1967 film). Nick still performs live in northern California, his regular shows include a bar in Occidental and several venues in downtown San Francisco. Nick also worked extensively with John Cipollina after producing the first Quicksilver Messenger Service album. Nick and John formed the Nick Gravenites-John Cipollina Band which toured a lot in Europe. Nick was inducted to the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2003 for his song "Born In Chicago".
[edit] Albums
- 1969 My Labours
- 1973 Steelyard Blues OST
- 1980 Blue Star
- 1982 Monkey Medicine
- 1991 Live At The Rodon (live)
- 1996 Don't Feed The Animals
- 1999 Kill My Brain
- 2005 Buried Alive In The Blues (live)
