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About This Track
“Black Betty” (Roud 11668) is a 20th century African-American work song often credited to Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly’s many adaptations of earlier folk material; in this case an 18th century marching cadence about a flint-lock rifle.
In 1977, the rock band Ram Jam — whose members included Bill Bartlett, formerly of Starstruck and The Lemon Pipers — rerecorded the song with producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz under Epic Records. The song became an instant hit with listeners, as it reached number 18 on the singles charts in the United States and the top ten in Australia. At the same time, the lyrics became the cause of a boycott by civil rights groups NAACP and Congress of Racial Equality, who claimed it insulted black women.
In 1990 dance remixes of Ram Jam’s version made the top twenty of the US dance charts and top thirty in Australia. Other notable artists such as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1986) and Tom Jones (2002) have covered the song.
In 1977, the rock band Ram Jam — whose members included Bill Bartlett, formerly of Starstruck and The Lemon Pipers — rerecorded the song with producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz under Epic Records. The song became an instant hit with listeners, as it reached number 18 on the singles charts in the United States and the top ten in Australia. At the same time, the lyrics became the cause of a boycott by civil rights groups NAACP and Congress of Racial Equality, who claimed it insulted black women.
In 1990 dance remixes of Ram Jam’s version made the top twenty of the US dance charts and top thirty in Australia. Other notable artists such as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1986) and Tom Jones (2002) have covered the song.
Send ‘Black Betty’ Ringtone to Cell Similar Music
Play Ram Jam RadioWith: Foghat, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Cactus, Gillan and more…
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Albums featuring this track
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The Definitive 70's
Tony Orlando & Dawn
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The Definitive 70's
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Golden Classics
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100 Hits Of The '70s
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Shouts
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JAKE7001 wrote:
Whoa Black Betty!!!! She be WILD!!!
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oldiesfanjohn wrote:
headbanger` from 1977,great tume!
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brooking1404 wrote:
Air guitar !!!
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dyke01 wrote:
met a DJ last week that had never heard of this CLASSIC TUNE!!!! had to give the stupid cow a slap.
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KaiRidder wrote:
moi moi
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Marjo47 wrote:
It is and loving it to!
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algenon50 wrote:
HA HA !!....LOVE IT !...WHAT A BLAST FROM THE PAST !...I think ZZtop, focus, & golden earing owe these boy's a good drink...
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marcy50 wrote:
ONE GOOD ONE HERE SURE DO REMEMBER THIS ONE,,THANKS ALOT FOR SHARING...NEAT SONG~
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derojones wrote:
every time i hear this song i feel like playing a racing game like need for speed or forza
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B-AIRLINE wrote:
WELL DONE, BOYS
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oldiesfanjohn wrote:
summer of 77` headbanger
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OLDCHAVYCAR2RED wrote:
cool tune
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behemouth wrote:
Isn't this a cover of Leadbelly?
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LaKalliope wrote:
The best song to wake up.
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Ana_Nimos wrote:
yep
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BMWPRETTY wrote:
OOOOH! Black Betty! Great song no disprect to anyone! I like this song! We are are Gods children. So WOOO!
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IzgorCore wrote:
Ram Jam 1,078,834 plays (215,024 listeners) Black Betty 916,046 Plays (197,197 listeners) Not cool man, Black Betty isn't the only song!
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VolkswagenFan wrote:
niccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeee!!!
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Tom_Pullings wrote:
Luvin the Ram Jam...Bama-a-lam
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southerenrock wrote:
i love this band,song,and album
Track Stats
984,760 Scrobbles
211,147 Listeners
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Recent Activity
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sweradio added Black Betty to sweradio’s library. 1 hour ago
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slenderrobin added Black Betty to their Loved Tracks. 9 hours ago
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tomkelly1992 added Black Betty to tomkelly1992’s library. 9 hours ago
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Claimingbinkie3, the_natikoo, bajer1 and 5 other people loved Ram Jam – Black Betty. 9 hours ago
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GMUSICTIME added Black Betty to GMUSICTIME’s library. 20 hours ago
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GMUSICTIME added Black Betty to the playlist. 20 hours ago
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mattdonoghue, SU1C1DALDEMON, Fuaran80 and 1 other person loved Ram Jam – Black Betty. Wednesday evening
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Unlimited4U added Black Betty to the playlist new. Wednesday morning
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Dmercer13, cj5389, Danielcarlhate and 1 other person loved Ram Jam – Black Betty. Wednesday morning
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ice-him added Black Betty to ice-him’s library. Tuesday afternoon
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