Mike Raven

Mike Raven (1924-1997, real name Austin Charton Farman) is best known as the presenter of Radio 1's rhythm and blues show between 1967 and 1971, and was one of the original team of DJs when Radio 1 opened in autumn 1967, Before that, he led a varied career until making his name in pirate radio, on the middle-of-the-road station Radio 390, where he hosted daytime shows with his wife Mandy and specialist R&B programmes in the evening. Due to his enthusiasm and his knowledge of the music, his evening shows gained an enthusiastic following and he presented similar programmes on Radio Luxembourg after leaving Radio 390 in late 1966.

In his early years on Radio 1 John Peel would frequently recommend Mike Raven's shows to his listeners. The two DJs shared a love of the blues and the second half of Raven's programme concentrated on blues, usually in its older and "purer" forms. While many blues-orientated listeners were delighted by this, those who favoured more contemparary soul and R&B styles did not enjoy reissues of old 78rpm records with heavy surface noise, or the tendency of some bluesmen to play out of tune. Conversely, blues fans regarded modern soul music as little more than slick showmanship, so it was difficult to please both groups within the time limit of a weekly hour-long show. In 1971 Mike Raven, having developed an interest in the occult (very fashionable at the time), left Radio 1 to pursue a career as an actor in horror films. He never returned to broadcasting, but lived on a farm in Cornwall for many years and became a sculptor.