How Ram Jam Became Famous for a Song They Didn't Even Record
How Ram Jam Became Famous for a Song They Didn't Even Record
The 1977 hit “Black Betty” is known worldwide, yet the band Ram Jam never played the original recording. This article traces the song’s journey from a 1933 prison‑farm chant to a chart‑topping hard‑rock single, and explains how a studio tape, not a band, created the legend.
The Roots of “Black Betty”
In December 1933, folklorists John and Alan Lomax recorded a prison‑farm version of “Black Betty” in Sugarland, Texas. Convict James Baker, known as Iron Head, led a group of inmates in an a‑capella rendition that preserved the song’s rhythmic work‑song origins. The recording survived in the Library of Congress and shows the early meaning of the title as a whip or a wagon, not a woman. Lead Belly later popularized the tune with a commercial recording in 1939, claiming authorship while acknowledging its older roots.
Bill Bartlett’s 1973 Ohio Studio Take
By 1973, guitarist Bill Bartlett, formerly of the Lemon Pipers, had formed Star Struck in Ohio. He re‑imagined Lead Belly’s one‑minute chant as a five‑minute hard‑rock track, adding a southern‑fried guitar riff and two new verses about a pinup model named Betty Paige. The band recorded the version in an Ohio studio, pressing it themselves. The tape spread regionally, gaining heavy rotation on local rock stations and becoming a staple at Cincinnati bar‑bands, even though it had never entered national charts.
Ram Jam’s National Breakthrough
Producers Jerry Cassinets and Jeffrey Catz, known as Super K, discovered the Star Struck tape while working with Buddha Records. They assembled a new lineup - Mike Scavone (vocals), Howie Bllov (bass), Pete Charles (drums) - and signed the group to Epic Records. Rather than re‑record the song, they edited the original tape, trimming it to a two‑minute single. Released in June 1977, “Black Betty” entered the Billboard Hot 100, peaked at No. 18, and stayed on the chart for 17 weeks. Internationally it reached No. 7 in the UK and No. 3 in Australia, while the album topped the Billboard 200 at No. 34.
Key Facts
- The first known recording of “Black Betty” dates to 1933 by the Lomaxes at a Texas prison farm.
- Bill Bartlett added two verses in 1973, transforming the song into a hard‑rock hit.
- Ram Jam’s 1977 single was edited from the original Star Struck tape; the band never recorded the track themselves.
- The single peaked at No. 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 7 in the UK.
- The song has appeared in films such as Blow and The Dukes of Hazard, and in video games, keeping it in popular culture.
FAQs
Q: Did Ram Jam record “Black Betty” in the studio?
A: No. The band used a pre‑existing Star Struck recording, editing it for the single release.
Q: Who wrote the new verses added by Bill Bartlett?
A: Bartlett himself wrote the two verses, inspired by the 1950s pinup model Betty Paige, not by the original prison‑farm context.
Conclusion
Ram Jam’s fame rests on a single, edited tape that never involved the band’s members in its creation. The story of “Black Betty” illustrates how a regional studio recording can become a global rock anthem, even when the performers behind the name never played the original notes.