Nick Gravenites, Electric Flag Singer & Joplin Collaborator, Dies at 85
by Jeff Tamarkin
Nick Gravenites (Photo by Ed Perlstein/MusicImages, used with permission)
Nick Gravenites, the Chicago-born singer-songwriter-musician best known as the lead vocalist for the short-lived soul-rock band the Electric Flag, died on Sept. 18, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. A statement on Gravenites’ Facebook page reads, “I regret to inform all of you that Nick passed away last night. Details to follow as they arrive. The Gravenites family appreciates all of the fans and loved ones who have been there for us during this time.” Gravenites was 85.
No cause of death has been reported, but a GoFundMe page had been established some time ago to assist the artist with medical expenses. Gravenites reportedly suffered from dementia and diabetes.
In addition to his work with the Mike Bloomfield-led Flag in the late ’60s, Gravenites was also credited for his work as a songwriter for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Janis Joplin, and for his work with the late Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Cipollina, the post-Joplin Big Brother and the Holding Company, and as a solo artist, most notably his 1969 album My Labors.
Listen to the title track from My Labors
Often known by his nickname, “Nick the Greek,” Nick Gravenites was born Oct. 2, 1938, in Chicago. He grew up on the city’s South Side and attended the University of Chicago. While still in Chicago, he became enamored of blues music in his teens and learned to play guitar. He authored the anthemic “Born in Chicago,” which led off the self-titled debut album by the Butterfield outfit, and co-authored the instrumental title track from the band’s highly regarded 1966 followup, East-West.
The Electric Flag, with Nick Gravenites 2nd from right
By the time of that album’s release, Gravenites had moved to the Bay Area where, two years later, he teamed up with fellow Chicagoan Bloomfield to form the Electric Flag, a band that incorporated rock, soul, blues and jazz. They performed at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and released a soundtrack album, The Trip, followed in 1968 by A Long Time Comin’, considered a groundbreaking recording of the era.
Related: Our Album Rewind of A Long Time Comin’
The Flag released another album, An American Music Band, in 1968 but imploded that year. Gravenites remained active, writing songs for Janis Joplin (“As Good As You’ve Been to This World,” “Work Me, Lord,” “Buried Alive in the Blues”), Quicksilver Messenger Service (“Holy Moly”) and others. He also co-produced the latter band’s self-titled debut album, released in 1968, and produced “One Toke Over the Line,” the 1971 hit single for Brewer and Shipley. Gravenites also sang with Big Brother and the Holding Company from 1969-72, following Joplin’s exit from the group. He appeared on that group’s Be a Brother and How Hard It Is albums in the early ’70s.
A later photo of Gravenites, from his Facebook page
Among myriad other credits, Gravenites produced an album for blues artist Otis Rush (Right Place, Wrong Time) and, in the ’80s, formed the Nick Gravenites–John Cipollina Band with the former Quicksilver guitarist (they also worked together with another band, Thunder and Lightning). According to his official bio, Gravenites was also involved in various capacities with Pure Prairie League, Tracy Nelson, Roy Buchanan, Jimmy Witherspoon, Howlin’ Wolf and James Cotton.
In addition to My Labors, Gravenites’ albums included BlueStar (1980), The Usual Suspects (1981, by a band of the same name), Monkey Medicine (1982, with Cipollina), Don’t Feed the Animals (1996) and Kill My Brain (1999).
Listen to Gravenites perform “Born in Chicago” in 1980
Listen to “Poor Boy” from Rogue Blues, a 2024 Gravenites album also featuring pianist Pete Sears
Gravenites is featured in the documentary film Born in Chicago, covering the city’s blues-rock history.
Watch the Electric Flag perform “Wine” at the Monterey Pop Festival, with Gravenites singing lead
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationFor those of us who saw Nick perform with John Cipollina at places like he Chi Chi Club in North Beach and then carry on with bassist Doug Kilmer and drummer Roy Blumenfeld by his side at Negri’s every Friday night in his adopted home town of Occidental, this is a big loss. He was a massive talent who, unfortunately, lacked the necessary good looks to be a rock star. But if you get a chance to hear him and Cipollina perform such great songs as “Four Floors or Forty” or “Funky News” you will immediately appreciate why they were properly christened Thunder and Lightning. My wife and I are heartbroken. (Thanks to Steve Keyser for continuing to get Nick Gigs.)
” … lacked the necessary good looks to be a rock star…” Tell that to Elton John, Meat Loaf, Pete Townshend, Leslie West, Elvis Costello, etc., etc.