Nick Gravenites

Bluesman

'The Greek' 'Born in Chicago' vocalist Nick Gravenites reunites with blues greats By Tim Simmers, STAFF WRITER BLUES BASHES: Nick Gravenites performs as part of the Chicago Blues Reunion at the River River and Monterey Bay blues festivals this month. FORTY-FIVE years ago in San Francisco, bluesman Nick Gravenites wrote the song "Born in Chicago," the first big hit for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. It was a song that the gravelly voiced Gravenites first sang in a folk duo with the late blues guitar-wizard Mike Bloomfield. "It was a fluke that it became a hit," says Gravenites, a rough-edged blues vocalist-guitarist who performs with the Chicago Blues Reunion band Saturday at the Russian River Blues Festival and June 25 at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival. The song got recorded because harmonica-great Butterfield asked Bloomfield to join his band, and Bloomfield insisted on recording the Gravenites classic. Smitten by the blues, Gravenites was a bold kid back in his native Chicago. He wasn't afraid to explore the tough Southside clubs and joints where legends like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf were lighting up the town. That's where Gravenites developed his raunchy, "blue-collar" vocal and guitar style, which drips of that Southside grit and soul. "Nick was a real link to Chicago," says Tom Mazzolini, founder of the San Francisco Blues Festival. "He saw it firsthand, and is a remaining member of that era." Often called "The Greek," for his heritage, Gravenites had another original song he played with Bloomfield that borrowed from the Greek music he listened to as a kid. It became the foundation for the Butterfield Blues Band classic "East/West," which featured the mystical, peaking lead guitar of Bloomfield. The blues and an eye-opening reading of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" drove Gravenites to hit the highway for San Francisco, where white Chicago blues greats of the'60s including Charlie Musselwhite, Elvin Bishop, Bloomfield, Harvey Mandel and others eventually moved. It was in the early'60s in San Francisco when Gravenites first met Janis Joplin, then a struggling folksinger. He later wrote a song for her called "Buried Alive in the Blues." The song was released as an instrumental on Joplin's "Pearl" album. But it wasn't meant to be an instrumental. Joplin died the night before she was supposed to record the vocals. "It was a fitting song," says Gravenites, who now lives in the Sonoma County town of Occidental. In those days, he says, "I was surviving on my wits" in San Francisco, which then was an artist's paradise with plenty of cheap hotels, apartments and food. "I was a beatnik, hitchhiker who slept on people's floors," says Gravenites, 67, a once roly-poly kid whose father owned a candy store. Gravenites had a crazy streak. He played loud, mixing in the acoustic folk chords with electric blues. He wore dark sunglasses, drank whiskey and cussed. "I was the original Blues Brother," he said. "I thought John Belushi was doing me." In 1967, in Marin County, Gravenites started the psychedelic blues band Electric Flag with his old buddy Bloomfield and keyboardist Barry Goldberg. The experimental band, with the emotional Gravenites singing songs like "Wine, Wine, Wine," was a fast hit, but soon broke up. In the late'60s, Gravenites played around local clubs as part of Mike Bloomfield and Friends, helping legitimize the growing Bay Area blues scene. Gravenites had heard about the Keystone Korner in North Beach, which became a hot blues and jazz club. But the owner was about to go under. "He had tried music, topless, bottomless, everything," said Gravenites. Gravenites and Bloomfield told the owner they'd play regularly at the club. In exchange, the owner would give them a say in who else to book. Soon Elvin Bishop was playing there, filling up the place. He brought in John Lee Hooker. Although Gravenites' prowess on the stage has been well-documented, many people are unaware of his skills as a producer. He produced blues great Otis Rush's 1970 album, "Right Place, Wrong Time," which was nominated for a Grammy for blues album of the year. He also produced Bloomfield's first solo album, "It's Not Killing Me," as well as some early Quicksilver Messenger Service albums. These days, Gravenites has been performing as part of the Chicago Blues Reunion, a stunning collaboration of Windy City music vets. The band released an album last July that's a rich tribute to the home of the electric blues. The album and band feature Gravenites singing many of his originals with a hot lineup, including blues-and-psychedelic guitarist Harvey "The Snake" Mandel; harp player Corky Siegel from the Siegel-Schwall band; funky keyboardist Goldberg, who played with Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan when he went electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival; and super drummer Sam Lay, who played with Howlin' Wolf and other masters as well as with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Tracy Nelson of the band Mother Earth also sings in the group. "We're talking history here," said Gravenites. "This reunion is giving us a chance to explore something." - To explore deep Chicago blues, check out Gravenites and gang at the Russian River and Monterey Bay blues festivals. For more information, visit http://www.rrfestivals.com/blues or call (925) 866-9599; or visit http://www.montereyblues.com or call (831) 394-2652.