Golden Classics
classic rock rock 70s hard rock Southern Rock
"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. Read more on Last.fm.

Ram Jam were an American rock band popular in the 70s, best known for their 1977 Top 20 hit "Black Betty" (a cover of an old Leadbelly tune) that has been remixed and re-released many times. The band members were Bill Bartlett (guitar), Pete Charles (drums), Myke Scavone (lead singer), and Howie Arthur Blauvett (bass). Jimmy Santoro, who toured with the band in support of their debut album, joined on guitar for the follow-up album. Bill Bartlett was formerly lead guitarist for sunshine pop group The Lemon Pipers, while Blauvett played with then budding pop artist Billy Joel in two bands: The Hassles and El Primo. Ram Jam were known for incorporating blues and soul influences in their sound, which set them apart from many contemporaries and brought them brief but strong chart success. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.