"Black Betty" (
Roud 11668) is a 20th-century
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
work song
A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a form of work, either sung while conducting a task (usually to coordinate timing) or a song linked to a task which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song.
Definitions and ...
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.
There are numerous recorded versions, including
a cappella and
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
. The song was eventually, with modified lyrics, remade as a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
song by the American band
Ram Jam
Ram Jam was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1977, predominantly known for their hit single "Black Betty".
Overview
The band consisted of Bill Bartlett (guitar and lead vocals) born 1946 in South Harrow, London, England, Howi ...
in 1977. Subsequent recordings, including hits by
Tom Jones and
Spiderbait, retain the structure of this version.
Meaning and origin
The origin and meaning of the lyrics are subject to debate. Historically, the "Black Betty" of the title may refer to the
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
given to a number of objects: a bottle of whiskey, a whip, or a penitentiary transfer wagon.
David Hackett Fischer
David Hackett Fischer (born December 2, 1935) is University Professor of History Emeritus at Brandeis University. Fischer's major works have covered topics ranging from large macroeconomic and cultural trends ('' Albion's Seed,'' ''The Great Wave' ...
, in his book ''
Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America'' (
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1989), states that "Black Betty" was a common term for a bottle of
whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...
in the borderlands between northern England and southern Scotland; it later became a euphemism in the backcountry areas of the eastern United States. In January 1736, Benjamin Franklin published
The Drinker's Dictionary in the ''
Pennsylvania Gazette
''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728 until 1800. In the several years leading up to the American Revolution the paper served as a voice for colonial opposition to British colonial rule, ...
'' offering 228 round-about phrases for being drunk. One of those phrases is "He's kiss'd black Betty." Other sources give the meaning of "Black Betty" in the United States (from at least 1827) as a liquor bottle.
In ''Caldwells's Illustrated Combination Centennial Atlas of Washington Co. Pennsylvania of 1876'', a short section describes wedding ceremonies and marriage customs, including a wedding tradition where two young men from the bridegroom procession were challenged to run for a bottle of whiskey. This challenge was usually given when the bridegroom party was about a mile from the destination-home where the ceremony was to be had. Upon securing the prize, referred to as "Black Betty", the winner of the race would bring the bottle back to the bridegroom and his party. The whiskey was offered to the bridegroom first and then successively to each of the groom's friends.
John A. and Alan Lomax's 1934 book, ''American Ballads and Folk Songs'' describes the origins of "Black Betty":
John Lomax also interviewed blues musician
James Baker
James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President ...
(better known as "Iron Head") in 1934, almost one year after Iron Head performed the first known recorded performance of the song.
In the resulting article for ''Musical Quarterly'', titled "'Sinful Songs' of the Southern Negro", Lomax again mentions the nickname of the bullwhip is "Black Betty". Steven Cornelius in his book, ''Music of the Civil War Era'', states in a section concerning folk music following the war's end that "prisoners sang of 'Black Betty', the driver's whip."
In an interview conducted by
Alan Lomax with former Texas penal farm prisoner Doc "Big Head" Reese, Reese stated that the term "Black Betty" was used by prisoners to refer to the "
Black Maria
Black Maria may refer to:
Art and literature
* Black Mariah (comics), a character in the Luke Cage comics series
* Black Maria, a character in the manga series ''One Piece''
* ''Black Maria'' (novel), a 1991 novel by Diana Wynne Jones
*''Blac ...
" — the penitentiary transfer wagon.
Robert Vells, in ''Life Flows On in Endless Song: Folk Songs and American History'', writes:
In later versions, "Black Betty" was depicted as various vehicles, including a
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
and a
hot rod.
Early recordings (1933–1939)
The song was first recorded in the field by US
musicologists
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
and
Alan Lomax in December 1933, performed
a cappella by the convict
James "Iron Head" Baker and a group at
Central State Farm,
Sugar Land
Sugar Land is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a populous suburban municipality centered around ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
(a State prison farm). Baker was 63 years old at the time of the recording.
The Lomaxes were recording for the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
and later field recordings in 1934, 1936, and 1939 also include versions of "Black Betty". A notated version was published in 1934 in the Lomaxes book ''American Ballads and Folk Songs''. It was recorded commercially in
New York in April 1939 for the
Musicraft Records
Musicraft Records was a record company and label established in 1937 in New York City.
Catalogue
Musicraft's catalog encompassed many different musical styles, including classical music, folk, jazz, Latin, popular vocal, and calypso.
Artists w ...
label by
Lead Belly, as part of a medley with two other work songs: "
Looky Looky Yonder" and "
Yellow Woman's Doorbells". Musicraft issued the recording in 1939 as part of a 78-rpm five-disc album entitled ''Negro Sinful Songs sung by Lead Belly''. Lead Belly had a long association with the Lomaxes, and had himself served time in State prison farms. Lead Belly was first recorded by the Lomaxes in 1933 when he was approximately 44 years old. John Lomax helped Lead Belly get the recording contract with Musicraft in 1939.
Post-1939
While Lead Belly's 1939 recording was also performed a cappella (with hand claps in place of hammer blows), most subsequent versions added guitar accompaniment. These include
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
-style recordings in 1964 by
Odetta
Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...
(as a medley with "Looky Yonder", with staccato guitar strums in place of hand claps), and
Alan Lomax himself.
Singer
Dave Ray of the folk-blues trio
Koerner, Ray and Glover
Koerner, Ray & Glover was a loose-knit group of three blues musicians from Minneapolis, Minnesota: "Spider" John Koerner on guitar and vocals, Dave "Snaker" Ray on guitar and vocals, and Tony "Little Sun" Glover on harmonica. They were notable fi ...
also recorded the song unaccompanied on their 1964 album ''
Lots More Blues, Rags and Hollers
''Lots More Blues, Rags and Hollers'' is an album by the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover, released in 1964.
History
Between this release and their next, Dave Ray and John Koerner each recorded a solo album, ''Snaker's Here'' and '' Spider Blue ...
''.
In 1968,
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two diffe ...
released a version of the song, arranged for a band, on their LP ''
Mighty Garvey!'', with the title and lyrics changed to "Big Betty". In 1972,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's " For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a ...
performed "Black Betty" live for ''
John Peel's In Concert'' on the BBC, this version was released in 2019 on the double CD / triple LP ''Radio Days Volume 4'', which also contains an earlier rendition from 1971 under the title "Big Betty". The same musical arrangement but with a new lyric and altered vocal melody appeared on the Earth Band's second album ''
Glorified Magnified
''Glorified Magnified'' is a rock album released in 1972 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
The album was produced by Manfred Mann and Dave Hadfield (except "It's All Over..." by Manfred Mann and Tom McGuinness) at Maximum Sound Studios, London in 1 ...
'' as "Look Around", credited solely to drummer
Chris Slade
Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh musician, best known for playing for the Australian rock band AC/DC. He drummed for the band from 1989 to 1994, performing on their 1990 album '' The Razors Edge'' along wit ...
. A studio version of "Big Betty" was recorded at the same sessions but remained unreleased until the ''40th Anniversary'' box set in 2011.
Ram Jam version
Bill Bartlett had been in the
Lemon Pipers
The Lemon Pipers were a 1960s American psychedelic rock band from Oxford, Ohio, United States, known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968. The song has been credited as being the first bubb ...
and then formed a group called Starstruck. While in Starstruck, Bartlett took Lead Belly's 59-second long "Black Betty" and arranged, recorded and released it on the group's own TruckStar label. "Black Betty" became a regional hit. Producers
Jerry Kasenetz
Jerry Kasenetz is an American bubblegum pop producer who worked with Jeffry Katz, the two working together as the Super K Productions company,Clarke, Donald (ed.) (1998) ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Penguin Books, , p. 182 to manu ...
and
Jeffry Katz
Jeffry Katz (born May 20, 1943, Brooklyn, New York) is an American music producer, one of the first exponents of bubblegum pop.
Music career
He is one half of a hitmaking duo with Jerry Kasenetz, the two working together as the Super K Productio ...
in New York formed a group around Bartlett called Ram Jam. They re-released the song, and it became a hit nationally. The Ram Jam version was actually the same one originally recorded by Starstruck (albeit significantly edited to rearrange the song structure). The song became an instant hit with listeners, and reached number 18 on the singles charts in the United States and achieved more success in the UK and Australia reaching the top ten.
Both the Ram Jam and the Spiderbait versions appear in the 2005 film ''
The Dukes of Hazzard
''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television serie ...
'', with the Ram Jam version also appearing on the soundtrack album.
Figure skating world champion
Javier Fernández performed his short program to Ram Jam's version of "Black Betty" during the 2014–15 season, when he won his third European Championships title and his first World Championships gold medal. The level ''Castle Rock'' from the 2013 video game ''
Rayman Legends
''Rayman Legends'' is a platform video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. It is the fifth main title in the ''Rayman'' series and the direct sequel to the 2011 game ''Rayman Origins''. The game was released for Mi ...
'' is based on Ram Jam's version of "Black Betty".
The song was remixed by Dutch DJ
Ben Liebrand
Ben Liebrand () (born 27 September 1960 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands) is a Dutch dance music DJ and remixer. He has produced for artists such as Forrest and MC Miker G & DJ Sven and remixed tracks by artists such as Alexander O'Neal, Salt-N- ...
in 1989 as Rough 'n' Ready Remix and became successful, reaching number 13 in the UK as well as charting in several other countries.
It appeared twice in the
season twenty episode of ''
Family Guy'',
"Cootie & The Blowhard".
The song was used in the movie ''
Kung Pow! Enter the Fist'', during a fight between the hero and a villain who called himself Master Betty.
Formats and track listings
7-inch (1977)
# "Black Betty" – 2:32
# "I Should Have Known" – 4:45
7-inch (1989)
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix – Edit) – 3:12
# "Black Betty" (Original Version) – 3:56
12-inch (1989)
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix) – 5:28
# "Black Betty" (Original Version) – 3:56
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix – Edit) – 3:12
CD (1989)
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix – Edit) – 3:12
# "Black Betty" (Original Version) – 3:56
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix) – 5:28
CD (1989)
# "Black Betty" – 2:29
# "Let It All Out" – 4:00
# "High Steppin'" – 3:41
# "Hey Boogie Woman" – 3:09
12-inch (France, 1994)
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix) – 5:28
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix – Edit) – 3:12
# "Black Betty" (Version Courte) – 2:32
# "Black Betty" (Version Album) – 3:57
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix) – 5:28
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix – Edit) – 3:12
# "Black Betty" (Version Courte) – 2:32
# "Black Betty" (Version Album) – 3:57
CD (France, 1994)
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix) – 5:28
# "Black Betty" (Rough 'n' Ready Remix – Edit) – 3:12
# "Black Betty" (Version Courte) – 2:32
# "Black Betty" (Version Album) – 3:57
CD (France, 1994)
# "Black Betty" (Version Courte) – 2:32
# "Black Betty" (Version Album) – 3:57
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Spiderbait version
In 2004, Australian alternative rock band
Spiderbait released a version of "Black Betty" as the lead single from their sixth studio album, ''
Tonight Alright'', on March 15. Produced by
Sylvia Massy, this version is a slightly faster re-working of Ram Jam's hard rock arrangement.
The song was a hit in Australia, reaching number one on the
ARIA Singles Chart in May 2004, becoming Spiderbait's first number-one single in Australia. The song was released as Spiderbait's debut single in the United States on October 18, 2004, reaching number 32 on
''Billboard'''s
Mainstream Rock Songs
Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
chart in November of the same year.
At the
ARIA Music Awards of 2004, the song was nominated for
ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single and the Paul Butler, Scott Walton and 50/50 Films directed music video was nominated for
Best Video.
[ARIA Award previous winners. ]
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
Release history
UNH controversy
In 2006, the
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, m ...
administration controversially banned the playing of Ram Jam's "Black Betty" at UNH
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
games. UNH Athletic Director Marty Scarano explained the reason for the decision: "UNH is not going to stand for something that insults any segment of society". In 2006 UNH students started the "Save Black Betty" campaign. Students protested at the hockey games by singing Ram Jam's "Black Betty", wearing T-shirts with writing on the front "Save Black Betty" and writing on the back "Bam-A-Lam", and holding up campaign posters at the game. The Ram Jam version was again played once at a UNH–UMaine hockey game on January 24, 2013, after a seven-year hiatus.
Selected list of recorded versions
* 1933
James Baker (AKA Iron Head) and group
* 1939
Mose Platt (AKA Clear Rock)
* 1939
Huddie Ledbetter (AKA Lead Belly), originally on the 78rpm album ''Negro Sinful Songs''
* 1964
Odetta
Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...
, as "Looky Yonder" on the album ''
Odetta Sings of Many Things
''Odetta Sings of Many Things'' is an album by American folk music, American folk music, folk singer Odetta, issued by RCA Victor in 1964.
Track listing
#"Troubled" – 2:25
#"Miss Katy Cruel" – 1:57
#"Anathea" – 4:32
#"Sun's Comin' U ...
''
* 1964
Alan Lomax, ''Texas Folk Songs'' album
* 1968
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two diffe ...
, as "Big Betty" on the ''Mighty Garvey!'' album
* 2002
Tom Jones UK #50 single, also on the UK #36 album ''
Mr. Tom Jones''
See also
*
Roud Folk Song Index
*
List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
Bibliography
* Collins, Lewis. ''Historical Sketches of Kentucky''. Cincinnati: James & Co. (1848).
* Thornton, Richard H. (ed.). ''An American Glossary''. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company (1912).
External links
*
SecondHandSongs List of cover versions
{{Authority control
Year of song unknown
1977 singles
2001 singles
2004 singles
American folk songs
Epic Records singles
Interscope Records singles
Lead Belly songs
Number-one singles in Australia
Obscenity controversies in music
Ram Jam songs
Spiderbait songs
Universal Music Australia singles