Linda gravenites biography

Nick Gravenites

American singer-songwriter (–)

Musical artist

Nicholas George Gravenites (grav-ih-NY-tis;[1] October 2, – September 18, ) was an American blues, rock and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his work with Electric Flag (as their lead singer), Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield, and several influential bands and individuals of the generation springing from the s and s.[2] He sometimes performed under the stage namesNick "The Greek" Gravenites and Gravy.

Biography

Gravenites was born in Chicago on October 2, [3] to a Greek-speaking family; his parents were from Palaiochori, Arcadia, in Greece. After his father died when he was 11, he worked in the family candy store before he was enrolled at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy; he was expelled for fighting shortly before he was due to graduate.

He then attended the University of Chicago, met Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield, became a fan of blues music, and learned guitar.[4][5]

He regularly patronized clubs where Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy and other leading blues musicians played. Gravenites spent time both in Chicago and San Francisco in the early s.

He wrote the song "Born in Chicago", which became the opening track on the Paul Butterfield Blues Banddebut 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 [6]

Gravenites played in clubs with Mike Bloomfield, Charlie Musselwhite and others, and settled in San Francisco in the mid s.[7] In he formed the Electric Flag with Bloomfield.[8] Gravenites wrote the score for the film The Trip and – together with Mike Bloomfield – wrote and performed most of the soundtrack for the film Steelyard Blues.[9][10] According to author and pop music critic Joel Selvin, Gravenites was "the original San Francisco connection for the Chicago crowd."[9]

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.[8] He wrote several songs for Joplin, including "Work Me, Lord"[8] and the unfinished instrumental track "Buried Alive in the Blues".

Linda gravenites biography Their bodily adornments represented a major taboo and were even illegal in certain parts of the country. Jonsberg, Barry —. Categories : births deaths American male singer-songwriters American rock singers American blues singers Singers from Chicago American rock songwriters American blues singer-songwriters American people of Greek descent Big Brother and the Holding Company members The Electric Flag members People from Occidental, California Singer-songwriters from Illinois Singer-songwriters from California. Part of the reason for the aversion to tattoo culture remained its "association with raunchy male imagery.

Gravenites was the lead singer in the re-formed Big Brother and the Holding Company (without Joplin) from to [8] He also worked extensively with John Cipollina after producing the first album by Quicksilver Messenger Service.[5] He and Cipollina formed the Nick Gravenites–John Cipollina Band, which toured throughout Europe, including a tour of Greece.[8][9]

Gravenites 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.

He and John Kahn produced the album Not Mellowed with Age, by Southern Comfort (CBS S ). Gravenites often used pianist Pete Sears in his band Animal Mind, including on his Blue Star album, on which Sears played keyboards and bass.[11][2][additional citation(s) needed]

In the early s, Gravenites performed and recorded with a revolving group of San Francisco Bay area rock, blues, and soul musicians called the Usual Suspects.

Their first album, The Usual Suspects, was released in In the s and s, Gravenites played with Cipollina as Thunder and Lightning. Gravenites and Sears played together in front of , people on Earth Day at Crissy Field, San Francisco. Sears also joined him for a tour of Greece. Gravenites continued to perform in northern California.

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    • Gravenites’ song "Born in Chicago" was honored by the Blues Hall of Fame in He toured with the Chicago Blues Reunion and a new Electric Flag Band.[11][additional citation(s) needed]

    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.

    The film was shown at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, in [11][5] He moved to Sonoma County, California in , latterly residing in the county's town of Occidental, for at least 30 years.[5][9][12] He released his last album Rogue Blues in [13]

    Gravenites, who had been suffering from diabetes and dementia, died in Santa Rosa, California on September 18, , at the age of [3][11] He is survived by his wife Marcia and two sons, Tim and Steven.[3]

    Discography

    Source:[14][additional citation(s) needed]

    Albums

    • A Long Time Comin', the Electric Flag
    • Electric Flag, the Electric Flag
    • My Labors[15]
    • Be a Brother, Big Brother and the Holding Company
    • How Hard It Is, Big Brother and the Holding Company
    • Joplin in Concert
    • Steelyard Blues OST[10]
    • Blue Star (Line Records)
    • Nick's Blues (self-released cassette − no label)
    • The Usual Suspects
    • Monkey Medicine, the Nick Gravenites–John Cipollina Band
    • Live at the Rodon, Nick Gravenites and John Cipollina (Music Box)
    • Don't Feed the Animals (issued on Waddling Dog, then reissued by TAXIM)
    • Kill My Brain[16]
    • Buried Alive in the Blues (Chicago Blues Reunion − live)
    • Local Blues ( live on It's About Music label)
    • Rogue Blues (M.C.

      Records)

    References

    1. ^Gravenites, Nick; Hummel, Mark (November 9, ). Nick Gravenites, Pt. 1 (Interview). Event occurs at Retrieved February 25,
    2. ^ abSkelly, Richard.

      Linda gravenites wikipedia In the s and s, Gravenites played with Cipollina as Thunder and Lightning. The conclusion: "Surely Janis absorbed the details of the life of a blues singer by reading Billie Holiday's autobiography , 'Lady Sings the Blues. Name variations: nickname Pearl. Jordan of Saxony, Bl.

      "Nick Gravenites Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network.

    3. ^ abcWilliams, Alex (September 26, ). "Nick Gravenites, Mainstay of the San Francisco Rock Scene, Dies at 85". New York Times.
    4. ^Gravenites, Nick ().

      Linda gravenites obituary Enrolled shortly afterward as a freshman art major, she drew enough attention with her attitudes and all-black style of dress taken by some as a sign of her sexual liberation to be written up by the student newspaper. The band's manager, her old friend Chet Helms, accompanied Janis to Port Arthur, promising the Joplins that their daughter would return to college in the fall semester if the tryout failed. He then attended the University of Chicago , met Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield , became a fan of blues music, and learned guitar. Specifically, Howard Hesseman claimed Morrison got physical, grabbing her hair and smashing her face into a table.

      "Bad Talkin' Bluesman". Blues Revue (18–26). ISSN&#;

    5. ^ abcdHildebrand, Lee (September 15, ). "Nick Gravenites plays the Valley Blues Festival". SFGate.
    6. ^Larkin, Colin (). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues.

      Virgin Books. ISBN&#;.

    7. ^"Nick Gravenites", All About Blues Music. Retrieved 1 May
    8. ^ abcdeColin Larkin, ed. ().

      Peggy caserta: These fans and a handful of critics had hoped to witness the "more raw, psychedelic rock sound of her former group. Originally scheduled for only one performance, the band did two, in order to be included in the film Monterey Pop. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Facing the disbanding of the Kozmic Blues Band, she perhaps felt a need to regain control.

      The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second&#;ed.). Guinness Publishing. p.&#; ISBN&#;.

    9. ^ abcd"Nick Gravenites reminisces about Janis Joplin, Michael Bloomfield and the Chicago blues migration to San Francisco". Marin Independent Journal.

      Nick gravenites Alice Echols. Going Down with Janis. Joos of Ghent. As for Green, she'd made Smith's acquaintance in the s at Lincoln Theater.

      June 15, Retrieved September 20,

    10. ^ ab"Steelyard Blues [Original Soundtrack] − Nick Gravenites". AllMusic.
    11. ^ abcdEvans, Greg (September 19, ).

      "Nick Gravenites Dies". Deadline.

    12. ^Taylor, Dan (April 10, ). "Music stars to play Sebastopol benefit to help out famed bluesman". Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
    13. ^Richards, Tom (April 26, ).

    14. Peggy caserta
    15. Linda Gravenites - IMDb

    16. "Legendary Bluesman Goes Rogue on New Album". Houston Press. Retrieved September 20,

    17. ^"Nick Gravenites Songs, Albums, Reviews". AllMusic.
    18. ^"My Labors − Nick Gravenites". AllMusic.
    19. ^"Kill My Brain − Nick Gravenites". AllMusic.

    External links