THE GREEK

 

 Nicholas George Gravenites(born October 2, 1938, Chicago, Illinois), with stage names like Nick "The Greek" Gravenites and Gravy, is a blues, rock and folk singer–songwriter, and is best known for his work with Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield and several influential bands and names of the generation springing from the 1960s and 1970s.  He currently resides in Occidental, California.
According to author and pop music critic Joel Selvin, 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, the Kosmic Blues Band. Gravenites also worked extensively with John Cipollina after producing the first Quicksilver Messenger Service album. He and Cipollina formed the Nick Gravenites–John Cipollina Band which toured a lot in Europe.

When the band Big Brother and the Holding Company reformed from 1969 to 1972 (without Janis Joplin), Nick was the lead singer.

Gravenites was also a songwriter for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which consisted of Elvin Bishop, Paul Butterfield, Sam Lay and Michael Bloomfield, then formed The Electric Flag with Butterfield guitarist Mike Bloomfield. Gravenites is also responsible for writing the score for The Trip, produced the music for the movie Steelyard Blues. He produced the pop hit "One Toke Over the Line" for Brewer & Shipley and the album Right Place, Wrong Time for Otis Rush, for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award. Together with John Kahn, Gravenites produced the album 'Not mellowed with Age' by Southern Comfort (CBS S 64125 - 1970). Over the years, Gravenites would often use pianist Pete Sears in his band "Animal Mind", including on his 1980 Blue Star album on which Sears played keyboards and bass. They also played together in front of 100,000 people on Earth Day 1990 at Crissy Field, San Francisco. Sears also joined him for a tour of Greece.

He still performs live in northern California. Gravenites was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003 for his song "Born In Chicago". He recently toured with the Chicago Blues Reunion and a new Electric Flag Band.

Nick Gravenites & Blue Gravy
1973-04-22
Record Plant
Sausalito, CA

KSAN FM Broadcast

with Paul Butterfield on harmonica
with Pete Sears on piano (track 5)
Setlist:

1 Intro Tom Donahue > Dekalb Blues
2 Follow Me Baby
3 Weird Old Crazy world
4 Left Hand Soul
5 Born in Chicago
6 Country Mechanic
7 Anna (fades)> Theme From Steel Yard Blues (Drive Again)
8 Buried Alive in the Blues > Outro Tom Donahue

Blue Gravy is: Nick Gravenites, Guitar & Vocals; Fred Olson, Guitar; Steve Funk, Keyboards; Doug Kilmer, Bass and Tony Dey, Drums.