"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 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. An African American (also Afro-American, Black American) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Huddie William Ledbetter (January 23, 1888 - December 6, 1949) was an American folk and blues musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing, his virtuosity on the twelve string guitar, and the rich songbook of folk standards he introduced. ... This article is about music. ... A flintlock is a firearm that operates in the following manner: The operator loads the gun, usually from the barrel end, with black powder followed by shot or a bullet wrapped in a paper patch, all rammed down with a special rod; A hammer tightly holding a shaped bit of...

Early recordings

The song was first recorded in the field by U.S. musicologists John and Alan Lomax in 1933, performed a capella by the convict James Baker (also known as Iron Head) and a group at Central State Farm, Sugar Land, Texas. Musicology is reasoned discourse concerning music (Greek: μουσικη = music and λογος = word or reason). In other words: the whole body of systematized knowledge about music which results from the application of a scientific method of investigation or research, or of philosophical speculation and rational systematization to the facts, the processes and the... John Avery Lomax (September 23, 1867 - January 26, 1948) was a pioneering musicologist and folklorist. ... Lomax playing guitar, sometime between 1938 and 1950 Alan Lomax (January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an important American folklorist and musicologist. ... See also: 1932 in music, other events of 1933, 1934 in music and the list of years in music. // Events January 23 - Béla Bartóks is premiered in Frankfurt National Association for American Composers and Conductors is founded by Henry Hadley. ... A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... Sugar Land is a city located in Fort Bend County, Texas. ... Texas is the gayest motherfucking state out there they can suck my big black balls. ...

The Lomaxes were recording for the Library of Congress and later field recordings in 1934, 1936 and 1939 also include versions of "Black Betty". It was recorded commercially in New York in 1939 by blues artist Lead Belly, as part of a medley with two other work songs: "Looky Looky Yonder" and "Yellow Woman's Doorbells". Lead Belly had a long association with the Lomaxes, and had himself served time in State prison farms. The Great Hall interior. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Blues music redirects here. ...

Post-1939

While Leadbelly's 1939 recording was also performed a capella, most subsequent versions added a guitar accompaniment. These include folk-style recordings in 1964 by Odetta, Harry Belafonte, and Alan Lomax himself. In 1976 a Cincinnati band, Starstruck, recorded a rock version of the song on the Truckstar label which had little success. In 1977, the rock band Ram Jam — whose members included Bill Bartlett, formerly of Starstruck — rerecorded the song with producers Jerry Kasenatz 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. A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and for the common people. ... Odetta (b. ... Harold George Belafonte, Jr. ... Lomax playing guitar, sometime between 1938 and 1950 Alan Lomax (January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an important American folklorist and musicologist. ... Nickname: The Queen City Location in Hamilton County, Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Hamilton Founded 1788 Incorporated 1819 Mayor Mark L. Mallory (D) Area    - City 206. ... Rock is a form of popular music from the mid 20th century which typically features a vocal melody (often with vocal harmony) that is supported by accompaniment of electric guitars, a bass guitar, and drums, often with a strong back beat. ... Rock group (or later rock band) is a generic name to describe a group of musicians specializing in a particular form of electronically amplified music. ... Ram Jam is the name of a 1970s rock band. ... William Bartlett is the former lead guitarist of rock bands Ram Jam and the Lemon Pipers. ... Jeff Katz is the afternoon talk show host at WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina. ... Epic Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... Look up Boycott in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is one of the oldest and most influential hate organizations in the United States. ... The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE is a U.S. civil rights organization that played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. ...

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 (1986) and Tom Jones (2002) have covered the song. Australian band Spiderbait released a version of the song in 2004 on their Tonight Alright album (Interscope Records), which reached #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia May 2004 and stayed there for three weeks. This version was later accredited double platinum in Australia and was the third best selling single of 2004. Dance music is a style of popular music commonly played in dance music nightclubs, radio stations and shows and raves. ... A remix is an alternate version of a song, different from the original version. ... Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 2005. ... Sir Tom Jones OBE (born Thomas Jones Woodward, 7 June 1940), is a Welsh singer particularly noted for his powerful voice. ... Spiderbait are an Australian rock band who have had two top ten albums and another three albums reach the Australian top 40. ... Tonight Alright is Australian band Spiderbaits sixth album. ... Interscope Records is an American record label owned and operated by Universal Music Group. ...

In 2006 the University of New Hampshire administration controversially banned the playing of Ram Jam's Black Betty at UNH Hockey 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" [1]. University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). ... Hockey is any of a family of sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, round disc called a puck, into the opponents net or goal, using a hockey stick. ...

Meaning

The origin and meaning of the lyrics are subject to debate. Some sources claim the song is derived from an 18th century marching cadence about a flint-lock rifle with a black head-stock; the "bam-ba-lam" lyric referring to the sound of the gunfire. Soldiers in the field were said to be "hugging Black Betty". In this interpretation, the rifle was superseded by its "child", a rifle known as a "Brown Bess".[2] (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... This article is about music. ... A flintlock is a firearm that operates in the following manner: The operator loads the gun, usually from the barrel end, with black powder followed by shot or a bullet wrapped in a paper patch, all rammed down with a special rod; A hammer tightly holding a shaped bit of...

Other sources claim the term was a contemporary reference for a prostitute, a prison bullwhip, or the "paddywagon". A bullwhip is a single-tailed whip, usually made of braided leather, which was originally used as a farmers tool for working with livestock. ... A paddywagon is a vehicle used by police to transport large groups of people who have been arrested. ...

In Lead Belly's version of the song, Black Betty is characterized as a woman with a child:

Woah, Black Betty
bam-ba-lam
Woah, Black Betty
bam-ba-lam

Black Betty had a baby
bam-ba-lam
Black Betty had a baby
bam-ba-lam

Damn thing gone crazy
bam-ba-lam
Damn thing gone crazy
bam-ba-lam

In an interview (see The Land Where the Blues Began, 1st Edition, Alan Lomax, Pantheon Books, 1993) conducted by Alan Lomax with a former prisoner of the Texas penal farm named Doc Reese (aka "Big Head"), Reese stated that the term "Black Betty" was used by prisoners to refer to the "Black Maria" -- the penetentiary transfer wagon. Below is a song in which the term "Black Betty", used to refer to the wagon, appears in the context of a prison work song. Lomax playing guitar, sometime between 1938 and 1950 Alan Lomax (January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an important American folklorist and musicologist. ... A paddywagon is a vehicle used by police to transport large groups of people who have been arrested. ...

Black Betty's in the bottom,
I can hear her roar,
She's bringing some po sucker,
With an achin soul.

She'll bring you here and leave you,
Let your hammer ring,
For a hundred summers,
Let your hammer ring.

(and now we hear the most familiar part of the song)

Black Betty's got a baby,
Let your hammer ring,
Damn thing's gone crazy,
Let your hammer ring,
Dipped its head in gravy,
Let your hammer ring.

In this interpretation, Black Betty's baby may be the prisoner himself, who has by his own admission "gone crazy" -- seeing as it was "Black Betty" who delivered the prisoners into the prison world ("She's bringing some po sucker"). In the lyrics above, the phrase "Let your hammer ring" is used repeatedly. In this case, the "hammer" refers to the hoes used by prisoners to break up the ground in the cotton fields. The song itself was used to keep a steady rhythm among the workers as they toiled in the field. It had the added benefit of helping the time go by faster through collective participation.

Many early blues and proto-blues songs follow the theme that all the wickedness of man (Adam) is the result of a woman (Eve). A number of early artists sang of how they got mixed up with a woman and ended up in prison as a result. As such, the characterization of the prison wagon as a woman is not unprecedented.

In the media

• Bob Dylan parodied the song in his experimental novel Tarantula (published 1971).
• Spiderbait's version can be heard in the movie Without a Paddle and videogame Need for Speed: Underground 2.
• The 2002 comedy movie Kung Pow! Enter the Fist.
• The 2005 film The Dukes of Hazzard used both versions by Spiderbait (on the trailer) and Ram Jam (in the film itself).
• Ram Jam's version used in the movie Blow, and in the TV show My Name Is Earl episode "Randy's Touchdown".

Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... Tarantula is an experimental novel by Bob Dylan, written early in his musical career. ... Spiderbait are an Australian rock band who have had two top ten albums and another three albums reach the Australian top 40. ... Without a Paddle is a 2004 film about three men going on a camping trip. ... Need for Speed: Underground 2 is a PlayStation 2 racing video game published and developed by Electronic Arts. ... Kung Pow! Enter the Fist is a 2002 comedy film. ... The Dukes of Hazzard is a movie based on the American television series, The Dukes of Hazzard. ... Spiderbait are an Australian rock band who have had two top ten albums and another three albums reach the Australian top 40. ... Ram Jam is the name of a 1970s rock band. ... Blow is a 2001 drama film about the American cocaine smuggler George Jung, directed by Ted Demme (who later died of a cocaine-related heart attack). ... My Name Is Earl is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom created by Greg Garcia. ... // Synopsis Spoiler warning: To cross another item off his list, Earl has to get his brother Randy the football touchdown that he took away from him in high school. ...

Sports theme

• New Japan professional wrestler Togi Makabe uses the Ram Jam version as his entrance music.
• Boston Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin uses the song when he comes out of the bullpen at home games.
• Texas Rangers' second baseman Ian Kinsler uses this song as his intro music when he comes up to bat.
• During his NHL career, Cam Neely reportedly would listen to this song once before every game as part of a supersitious ritual.
• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim' first baseman-outfielder Darin Erstad uses this song as his intro music when he comes up to bat.
• ABN Amro used the name Black Betty for their main boat which won the Volvo Ocean Race 05/06.
• Ted Ginn Jr. uses this song on his highlight reel and can be found here

New Japan Pro Wrestling (新日本プロレス, shin nihon puroresu) is a major professional wrestling federation in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in 1972. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1 • 4 • 8 • 9 • 27 • 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1907–present) See Nicknames before Red Sox for disputed nicknames Ballpark Fenway Park (1912–present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds (1901-1911) Major league titles World... Michael August (Mike) Timlin (born March 10, 1966 in Midland, Texas) is a middle relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Boston Red Sox since 2003. ... While the game goes on, a relief pitcher warms up in the bullpen, beyond the outfield fence In baseball, the bullpen is the area where pitchers warm-up before entering a game. ... Major league affiliations American League (1961–present) West Division (1972–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 26,34,42 Name Texas Rangers (1972–present) Washington Senators (1961-1971) Ballpark Ameriquest Field in Arlington (1994–present) a. ... Ian Kinsler (born June 22, 1982 in Tucson, Arizona) is a Major League Baseball player for the Texas Rangers. ... NHL can also be an abbreviation for National Historic Landmark or Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. ... Cameron Cam Michael Neely (born June 6, 1965, in Comox, British Columbia) played right wing in the National Hockey League from 1983 to 1996. ... Darin Charles Erstad (born June 4, 1974 in Jamestown, North Dakota) is a first baseman/center fielder in Major League Baseball who has played his entire career for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise (1996-2006). ...

Selected list of recorded versions

• 1933 James Baker (AKA Iron Head) and group
• 1939 Huddie Ledbetter AKA Leadbelly
• 1964 Odetta
• 1964 Harry Belafonte
• 1964 Alan Lomax
• 1964 Koerner, Ray and Glover, Lots More Blues, Rags, and Hollers album
• 1976 Starstruck
• 1977 Ram Jam, US #18
• 1981 Nazareth
• 1986 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Kicking Against the Pricks album
• 2002 Tom Jones
• 2002 Throttlerod
• 2004 Spiderbait, AUS #1
• 2005 SOiL, Unreleased
• 2006 Meat Loaf, Bat Out Of Hell III single B-side
• 2006 Joe Brown, Down To Earth (Bonus Track)

Leadbelly (January 29, 1885 - December 6, 1949) was an influential blues singer and guitarist. ... Odetta (b. ... Harold George Belafonte, Jr. ... Lomax playing guitar, sometime between 1938 and 1950 Alan Lomax (January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an important American folklorist and musicologist. ... Ram Jam is the name of a 1970s rock band. ... Nazareth is an earthy and versatile Scottish rock band that had several hard rock hits, as well as scoring with the Felice and Boudleaux Bryant penned ballad, Love Hurts, in the middle of the 1970s. ... Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. ... Kicking Against the Pricks is the third album released by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. ... Sir Tom Jones OBE (born Thomas Jones Woodward, 7 June 1940), is a Welsh singer particularly noted for his powerful voice. ... Spiderbait are an Australian rock band who have had two top ten albums and another three albums reach the Australian top 40. ... Loess field in Germany Soil horizons are formed by combined biological, chemical and physical alterations. ... Meat Loaf is the stage name of Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1947), an American actor (stage and screen) and rock singer. ... My Band is a 2004 rap single by the rap group D12. ... D12 (aka The Dirty Dozen and D-Twizzy) is an American hip-hop group originating from Detroit, Michigan and Highland Park, Michigan which have had albums reach the top of the U.S., UK and Australian album charts — Devils Night in 2001 and D12 World in 2004. ... The Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... F.U.R.B. (Fuck You Right Back) is a song by Frankee. ... Promotional photograph for Frankees single F.U.R.B. Frankee (born Nicole Francine Aiello, on 9 June 1983, in Staten Island, New York) is an American pop and R&B singer. ...

External links

• Black Betty at the All Music Guide
• http://www.freeblackbetty.com/