‘Black Betty’ 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 say it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material. The origin and meaning of the lyrics are subject to debate. Historically, the ‘Black Betty’ of the title may refer to the nickname given to a number of objects: a bottle of whiskey, a whip, or a penitentiary transfer wagon.
David Hackett Fischer, in his book Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (Oxford University Press, 1989), states that "Black Betty" was a common term for a bottle of whisky in the borderlands between northern England and southern Scotland; it later became a euphemism in the backcountry areas of the eastern United States. John A. and Alan Lomax's 1934 book, American Ballads and Folk Songs describes the origins of ‘Black Betty’: "Black Betty is…the whip that was and is used in some Southern prisons.” Robert Vells, in Life Flows On in Endless Song: Folk Songs and American History, writes: “As late as the 1960s, the vehicle that carried men to prison was known as "Black Betty," though the same name may have also been used for the whip that so often was laid on the prisoners' backs, "bam-ba-lam."”
There are numerous recorded versions, including a cappella and folk. The song was eventually, with modified lyrics, remade as a rock song by the American band Ram Jam in 1977. Bill Bartlett had been in the Lemon Pipers 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 and Jeffry Katz 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.
Subsequent recordings, including hits by Tom Jones and Spiderbait, retain the structure of this version. Both the Ram Jam and the Spiderbait versions appear in the 2005 film The Dukes of Hazzard, 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.
Label – Epic
Songwriters – Traditional, Huddie Ledbetter
Producers – Jerry Kasenetz, Jeffry Katz
SONG LYRICS
[Instrumental Intro][Verse 1]
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Black Betty had a child, bam-ba-lam
The damn thing gone wild, bam-ba-lam
Said, "It weren't none of mine," bam-ba-lam
The damn thing gone blind, bam-ba-lam
I said, oh, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 2]
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
She really gets me high, bam-ba-lam
You know that's no lie, bam-ba-lam
She's so rock steady, bam-ba-lam
And she's always ready, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 3]
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
She's from Birmingham, bam-ba-lam
Way down in Alabam', bam-ba-lam
Well, she's shakin' that thing, bam-ba-lam
Boy, she makes me sing, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam
Whoa, Black Betty
Bam-ba-laaam, yeah, yeah