Michael Raven was born to Lancastrian parents in Cardiff, Wales but moved to the West Midlands when he was 3 years old.
A talented sportsman, he became Midlands Decathlon Champion in 1954 at the age of 16 whilst a boarder at Towyn Grammar School.
He met Eve, a Brighton girl, in Jersey whilst playing in cabaret in 1963, and married her in Gibraltar in 1965.
[1] He was heavily involved in the folk scene, and worked as Mary Hopkins' accompanist during a summer season in Margate in 1971.
[3] He was uncle to late musician Paul Raven, died one year earlier.