Black Country Three

The Black Nation Three was a folk trio formed within the mid-’60s by sibling folk singer/scholars Michael Raven and Jon Raven, and Derek Art. Their name identifies an area from the British midlands bounded by Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Staffordshire. They documented their self-titled debut recording in 1966 for Transatlantic, which combined a few modern tunes (including a rendition of the Bob Dylan structure) with traditional materials. Despite their achievement being a trio, the group didn’t last greater than a year or two. The Raven brothers have already been active as documenting performers and performers for four years, and as writers — each provides written thoroughly on the annals, folklore, and music from the Midlands.