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Nicholas George Gravenites (born October 2, 1938 in Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
, Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
), known as Nick "The Greek" Gravenites and Gravy, is a blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
, rock
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 and folk
Folk

English Folk "people" is derived from a Germanic languages noun *fulka meaning "people" or "army" . The English word folk has cognates in most of the other Germanic languages....
 singer–songwriter
Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
 and is best known for his work with Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin

Janis Lyn Joplin was an United States singer, songwriter, and music arranger, from Port Arthur, Texas. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as a solo artist....
 and several other greats of the 1960s and 1970s. Nick currently resides in Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol, California

Sebastopol is a town in Sonoma County, California, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco. The population was 7,774 at the 2000 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people....
.

According to author and pop music critic Joel Selvin, Nick Gravenites is "the original San Francisco connection for the Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
 crowd." Gravenites is credited as a "musical handyman" helping such San Francisco bands as Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service

Quicksilver Messenger Service is an United States psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in music in San Francisco, California and considered to be a part of the city's San Francisco Sound....
 and Janis Joplin's first solo group.






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Nicholas George Gravenites (born October 2, 1938 in Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
, Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
), known as Nick "The Greek" Gravenites and Gravy, is a blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
, rock
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 and folk
Folk

English Folk "people" is derived from a Germanic languages noun *fulka meaning "people" or "army" . The English word folk has cognates in most of the other Germanic languages....
 singer–songwriter
Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
 and is best known for his work with Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin

Janis Lyn Joplin was an United States singer, songwriter, and music arranger, from Port Arthur, Texas. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as a solo artist....
 and several other greats of the 1960s and 1970s. Nick currently resides in Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol, California

Sebastopol is a town in Sonoma County, California, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco. The population was 7,774 at the 2000 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people....
.

According to author and pop music critic Joel Selvin, Nick Gravenites is "the original San Francisco connection for the Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
 crowd." Gravenites is credited as a "musical handyman" helping such San Francisco bands as Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service

Quicksilver Messenger Service is an United States psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in music in San Francisco, California and considered to be a part of the city's San Francisco Sound....
 and Janis Joplin's first solo group. Nick wrote the song "Buried Alive In The Blues", but Janis 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
Paul Butterfield

Paul Butterfield was an United States blues vocalist, harmonica player who gained international recognition in part, as one of the early acts performing during the Summer of Love, in Woodstock, New York....
, which consisted of Elvin Bishop
Elvin Bishop

Elvin Bishop is an United States blues and rock and roll musician and guitarist....
, Paul Butterfield
Paul Butterfield

Paul Butterfield was an United States blues vocalist, harmonica player who gained international recognition in part, as one of the early acts performing during the Summer of Love, in Woodstock, New York....
, and Michael Bloomfield
Michael Bloomfield

Michael Bloomfield may refer to:* Michael J. Bloomfield, astronaut* Mike Bloomfield, guitarist...
, then formed The Electric Flag with Butterfield guitarist Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield

Michael Bernard Bloomfield , an United States musician, guitarist, and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation entirely on his instrumental prowess....
. Nick is also responsible for writing the score for The Trip
The Trip (1967 film)

The Trip is a low-budget cult film released by American International Pictures, directed by Roger Corman, and shot on location in and around Los Angeles, including on top of Kirkwood in Laurel Canyon, Hollywood Hills, and near Big Sur, California in 1966....
. 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
John Cipollina

John Cipollina was a lead guitarist best known for his work with the San Francisco, California rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. He pronounced his surname with the Italian "C" ....
 after producing the first Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service

Quicksilver Messenger Service is an United States psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in music in San Francisco, California and considered to be a part of the city's San Francisco Sound....
 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".

His last name is pronounced "grav-en-ite-iss"

Discography


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)


External links