The Black Country Night Out show was a popular variety entertainment show active in the Black Country from the 1970's onwards. This VHS includes the entire original line up in what may be their only surviving professionally recorded video performance. The original 30 minutes were produced by the BBC for Television, while the rest of the performance, dated later, was recorded by Jon's Brother, Michael Raven. Both sections were then included in the final commercially produced VHS tape produced under Jon's record label 'Broadside'.

Jon Raven, Dolly Allen,
Tommy Mundon,
Harry Harrison,
Ray Hingley, and Brian Clift.
(With Doug Parker.)

Guest List:
00:00 (The Swan, Worcester)
01:42 Ray Hingley (Introducing Tommy Mundon)
02:33 Tommy Mundon
07:13 Ray Hingley (Introducing Harry Harrison)
07:36 Harry Harrison
10:06 Ray Hingley (Introducing Jon Raven)
10:30 Jon Raven
13:42 Ray Hingley (Introducing Dolly Allen)
14:06 Dolly Allen
22:18 Ray Hingley (Introducing Brian Clift)
22:46 Brian Clift
30:12 (Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton)
30:17 Doug Parker (Introducing Tommy Mundon)
31:00 Tommy Mundon
47:32 Doug Parker (Introducing Jon Raven)
47:47 Jon Raven

Approximate running time: one hour and twenty minutes.
Video Source:
1. BBC Midlands Regional Television. Programme recorded at the Swan Theatre,
Worcester on April 8th 1982.
2. Amateur video recorded by Mike Raven at the Grand Theatre Wolverhampton,
on March 8th 1992.
Sound and picture quality on the amateur video cannot be compared to that of
the BBC recording. Video tape editor Malcolm Passant.

Broadside 1999, VHS, Colour, 001 (BCNO) 80 mins


This tape is still under copyright; however as all the performers (except Brian Clift) have now passed on and the company who produced the VHS (Broadside) are now defunct who can say what individual or entity may technically own the rights to this? Well video tape is a medium that degrades with time and wont wait to find out, this tape may already be the last surviving example. I have done my best to reproduce it here as faithful to the vision of the original as is possible, this has included some minor remastering work on my part, hopefully you will at least find this watchable. Without explicit permission from the copyright holder and much greater financing this is the best possible result I will be able to manage. Please look upon this as a labour of love and goodwill to preserve something I think is important, I certainly profit in no way from this.

Staffordshire Folk Archive