![Black Betty](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Black_Betty_Ram_Jam.jpg)
Song
Black Betty
Ram Jam
Album:
Ram Jam
Meaning of Black Betty by Ram Jam
The 20th-century African-American labour ballad "Black Betty" is sometimes ascribed to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, even though his early recordings do not feature it. It is one of Lead Belly's several folk material adaptations, according to some sources.
Numerous recordings exist, including as folk and a cappella renditions. The American band Ram Jam eventually recreated the song as a rock hit in 1977, but with altered lyrics. The arrangement of later records, such as hits by Spiderbait and Tom Jones, is still the same.
After leaving the Lemon Pipers, Bill Bartlett founded the band Starstruck. During his tenure at Starstruck, Bartlett composed, recorded, and published Lead Belly's 59-second song "Black Betty" on the group's TruckStar label. "Black Betty" rose to fame in the area. Around Bartlett, producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz in New York created a group called Ram Jam. After the song was re-released, it became a national hit. Actually, Starstruck's initial recording was the same as the Ram Jam version—it was just heavily altered to change the song's arrangement.
The song gained immediate popularity among listeners, peaking at number 18 on the US singles charts. It also entered the top ten in the UK and Australia.
Black Betty lyrics by Ram Jam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Black Betty had a child, bam-ba-lam
The damn thing gone wild, bam-ba-lam
Said it weren't none of mine, bam-ba-lam
The damn thing gone blind, bam-ba-lam
I said oh, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
She really gets me high, bam-ba-lam
You know that's no lie, bam-ba-lam
She's so rock steady, bam-ba-lam
And she's always ready, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
She's from Birmingham, bam-ba-lam
Way down in Alabam', bam-ba-lam
Well, she's shakin' that thing, bam-ba-lam
Boy, she makes me sing, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Release Date
1977
Songwriter/s
Traditional, Huddie Ledbetter
Producer/s
Jerry Kasenetz, Jeffry Katz
Label/s
Epic