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Folk and blues legend Lead Belly originally recorded today's "Great Song of the '70s" back in 1939, but the song goes all the way back to the late 19th century, when it was sung as an a cappella chant by field hands.
Of course, by the time the group Ram Jam got a hold of "Black Betty" in 1977, it sounded nothing like a chant...OR a blues number!
It was an out and out rock and roll monster that charted in 13 countries...reaching as high as #3 in Australia. In the US, the song peaked at #18 on the Hot 100.
It might have charted higher, but some US stations refused to play it because they felt it was demeaning to black women. If they had dug just a little bit deeper, they would have found that in addition to being a woman, "Black Betty" was the name of a bottled whiskey. (Ram Jam used both lyrically.) It's also a slang term for a whip and a penitentiary transfer wagon!
I'll tell you one thing, when we played the song at She-Nannigans in Eau Claire, it was a bona fide hit! As soon as people heard its distinctive opening, they'd race to the dance floor and PACK IT within seconds!
Unfortunately for Ram Jam, they were a one-hit wonder---but what a hit to hang your career on!
"Black Betty" by Ram Jam: A "Great Song of 1977!"
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