1. Nicholas George Gravenites was an American blues, rock and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his work with Electric Flag, Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield, and several influential bands and individuals of the generation springing from the 1960s and 1970s.
Nick Gravenites sometimes performed under the stage names Nick "The Greek" Gravenites and Gravy.
Nick Gravenites was born in Chicago on October 2,1938 to a Greek-speaking family; his parents were from Palaiochori, Arcadia, in Greece.
Nick Gravenites then attended the University of Chicago, met Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield, became a fan of blues music, and learned guitar.
Nick Gravenites regularly patronized clubs where Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy and other leading blues musicians played.
Nick Gravenites spent time both in Chicago and San Francisco in the early 1960s.
Nick Gravenites wrote the song "Born in Chicago", which became the opening track on the Paul Butterfield Blues Band debut album, and, with guitarist Bloomfield, co-wrote the title track of their second album, East-West; the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
Nick Gravenites played in clubs with Mike Bloomfield, Charlie Musselwhite and others, and settled in San Francisco in the mid 1960s.
Nick Gravenites was credited as a "musical handyman", helping such San Francisco bands as Quicksilver Messenger Service and Janis Joplin's first solo group, the Kozmic Blues Band.
Nick Gravenites wrote several songs for Joplin, including "Work Me, Lord" and the unfinished instrumental track "Buried Alive in the Blues".
Nick Gravenites was the lead singer in the re-formed Big Brother and the Holding Company from 1969 to 1972.
Nick Gravenites worked extensively with John Cipollina after producing the first album by Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Nick Gravenites often used pianist Pete Sears in his band Animal Mind, including on his 1980 Blue Star album, on which Sears played keyboards and bass.
Nick Gravenites' song "Born in Chicago" was honored by the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003.
Nick Gravenites toured with the Chicago Blues Reunion and a new Electric Flag Band.
Nick Gravenites was featured in the documentary film Born in Chicago, in which he and several other Chicago natives told of growing up with blues music in Chicago.
Nick Gravenites moved to Sonoma County, California in 1982, latterly residing in the county's town of Occidental, for at least 30 years.
Nick Gravenites released his last album Rogue Blues in 2024.
Nick Gravenites, who had been suffering from diabetes and dementia, died in Santa Rosa, California on September 18,2024, at the age of 85.
Nick Gravenites is survived by his wife Marcia and two sons, Tim and Steven.