Black Betty - Music
Black Betty by Ram Jam
Ram Jam
Artist Biography For Ram Jam
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.
Frogtoon Music - Song Info: Black Betty
Ram-Jam - Golden Classics
"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.
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Biography - Ram Jam
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.
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16 Similar Artists To Ram Jam - Frogtoon Music
Foghat Mountain Lynyrd Skynyrd Steppenwolf Joe Walsh Norman Greenbaum The Knack Stealers Wheel Free Creedence Clearwater Revival George Thorogood Billy Squier Ted Nugent Boston Blackfoot Grand Funk Railroad.
"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. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.