Nick Gravenites & Blue Gravy
April 22, 1973 · Record Plant Sausalito
On April 22, 1973, KSAN broadcast Nick Gravenites and Blue Gravy live from the Record Plant in Sausalito. Tom Donahue introduced the set, as he did across the KSAN Record Plant series. Paul Butterfield guested on harmonica, reuniting with Gravenites two decades after their Chicago beginnings. The band played nine songs, including 'Born in Chicago' and 'Buried Alive in the Blues.' Blue Gravy never released a studio record, so this broadcast is what survives. The full set later appeared as 'The Record Plant '73' on Shady Grove Records. Gravenites kept writing and playing for five more decades after this set. He died on September 18, 2024, at the age of 85.
- Type
- Live Broadcast
- Date Recorded
- April 22, 1973
- Date Broadcast
- April 22, 1973
KSAN 95 FM broadcast, Record Plant Sausalito, 4/22/73. Nick Gravenites & Blue Gravy featuring Paul Butterfield. Tom Donahue intro. CENSUS 2026-05-30, enriched 2026-05-31: Verified. Type: FM Broadcast. The only known live KSAN recording of Blue Gravy. Best free source: Internet Archive (Recording URL); also YouTube (PLAbA0nS5PY) and etree Beanstalk 3 tree. PERSONNEL: Nick Gravenites (vocals/guitar), Fred Burton (guitar), Pete Sears (piano), Doug Kilmer (bass), Lee Bitner (drums), Mark Adams (harmonica), with guest Paul Butterfield (harmonica). Tom Donahue introduced the set. SETLIST: Intro (Tom Donahue) / Dekalb Blues / Gypsy Good Time / As Good As You've Been To This World / Left Hand Soul / Born In Chicago / Country Mechanic / (Going Back To) Anna / Drive Again (Theme From Steelyard Blues) / Buried Alive In The Blues. OFFICIAL RELEASE: 'The Record Plant '73' (Shady Grove Records, 2015/2017; Discogs 8631941). 9 songs, 53 minutes. BLUE GRAVY HISTORY: Formed 1972 by Nick Gravenites. Made a three-song demo at the Record Plant for Warner Brothers, Ted Templeman set to produce; tax issues killed the deal and the band dissolved after about a year. This KSAN broadcast is the only known live recording. GRAVENITES: Born Chicago 1938. Wrote 'Born in Chicago' and co-wrote 'East-West' for Butterfield, 'Buried Alive in the Blues' for Joplin. Co-founded the Electric Flag 1967. Blues Hall of Fame 2003. Died September 18, 2024. CROSS-REF: Same April 22, 1973 KSAN day as Michael Bloomfield & Mark Naftalin and Kris Kristofferson. Recording Type: FM Broadcast + Official Release. Audio: Yes. Confidence: High. ARTICLE: see Articles table (April 22 group-page anchor). URL CLEANUP 2026-07-03: Recording URL2 (https://www.discogs.com/release/8631941) removed per Tom's approval — Discogs is not an approved audio host. Reference preserved here: Discogs release 8631941, the official commercial reissue 'The Record Plant '73' (Shady Grove Records, 2015/2017) already described above under OFFICIAL RELEASE.
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