Professor Adam, you're one of a kind! I was born in '66. Thanks SO MUCH for the daily walks down memory lane. I've early onset alzheimers, and your videos open up snapshots of my life that I've long forgotten. "Three chords and the truth, my friend." Sincerely, Scott
You're very welcome! I'm so sorry to hear that. We will continue to create videos of the soundtrack of your life. Music is the medicine...Peace to you my friend.
Scott, your message here is a true highlight in an internet full of fakes and trolls, it's very heartfelt. Take good care of yourself, I hope you get the best care there is and have many more good years! ♥️
I was just thinking about making such a comment about those two as driving songs and being potentially very expensive for the wallet when I stumbled across your comment.
I made a music Playlist for my daughter when she was little that I would play when she was in her hanging bouncy seat. Ram Jam's Black Betty was the song that really got her moving. She still gets excited when she hears it at 17. And she's literally been jamming to this song for nearly her whole life.
My 3 year old Grandson is mesmerized by this tune. As soon as it comes on the TV, he can't focus on anything but this song and dances till it's over. It is so fun to watch him rock out to this classic.
Best and most thorough deep dive I've ever heard of a fantastic rendition of a fantastic song. It's not often that anyone can totally own a song that's been recorded by the great Lead Belly, but Bill Bartlett took that song and did it so well that he forever owns it. He also gets no credit for the absolutely soaring, smokin' guitar solo which is a damned shame. The guitar, the drums, the bass line, everything about this version is absolute rock perfection. I listen to it pretty much every morning in the shower, really wakes me up the right way.
I always think about right after this song came out. I was sitting at the kitchen table doing my homework when Black Betty started and naturally I had to crank up the radio. What really sticks in my mind is mama walking in and saying “How about turning that down bam ba lam.” And I did right after the song ended. 😁 Guess that’s my main memory for the song.
I had the pleasure of playing some gigs with Bill Bartlett in the 90's (as his drummer). Super nice and humble guy. Thanks for sharing this great story!
@@jakeella keeping it simple :-) Any interested parties should know a couple of those gigs were with Live Bait (with Bill on bass), the infamous Oxford, Ohio jam band.
Discovered this by RamJam about 10 years ago when I was stacking music on my iPods. I was in my 60's at the time. Hadn't heard it before and this is the first I learned of its history. Any way, I'm 75 now and still like it!
@@tamuman93 I'm sure it was. I was in the Navy in the mid 1960's and every time we went to sea we missed months of music and groups even. For many years it was very normal for me to hear about music I "missed". It is less common now but still happens from time to time. Like I said I was in my 60's at that time I discovered this. Not uncommon then. I'm 77 now.
@Karl with a K Well, the "short" version is I have been a "Public Radio" listener for over 40 years. I hate commercials and commercial radio phony "hype". Most of the stations play music that the commercial stations won't or wouldn't. I discovered Noncommercial radio in the late 60's after I got out of the Navy. At sea we'd go months out of radio broadcast range, (besides I was on a submarine and submerged you heard nothing, I went years with out hearing much music that came and went while we were submerged.) I gave up on TV over 6 years ago. Most isn't worth watching and what is is hard to find that is why I watch "programs" on-line. I run 6 different ad blockers on my computer. I NEVER see an Ad or Commercials just what I want to watch.😃
@@ProfessorofRock Ah, the classic 8 track! I remember them fondly, but I'm really glad they fell out of style. Vinyl is always great and cassettes are alright. But with all the different forms to get music on, 8 tracks are rather crappy. I seem to remember listening to the Bay City Rollers 'Saturday Night' on 8 track. Ah, the good old days! I can say that with complete honesty because I was born in September of 1967. Not the greatest year, but close enough to hear all the best rock and roll! So sad that my Boomer parents never appreciated Led Zeppelin and other classic rockers like I did. My mom only ever listened to Stairway to Heaven. I told her that Zeppelin did a lot more than that. Try using the beginning of Immigrant Song as a wake up alarm! Even more alarming than hearing Robin Williams shouting 'Good morning, Vietnam!' in your ear because your cell phone alarm went off next to your pillow! 😳😂
5:46 I love when you recall stories about your dad. My dad was also a big music nerd and passed away two years ago this month. He was also a drummer in a sixties garage rock band who played songs by seattle band, The Sonics
One of the Lemon Pipers was a neighbor of mine. Had VH1 on the TV playing their video and I could see him outside in the distance mowing. Just one of those moments.
I am so grateful to this channel for giving the history behind the song. I just remember my father singing the classic rock version by Ram Jam to me when I was a kid. One of my earliest memories of hearing classic rock music. Thanks Dad!
17, 1986, The Black Horse, legendary biker pub southern UK, sun shining, bikes lined up, Newkie Brown and someone plays BB on the jukebox. The happy vibe just got even happier!! 😁
Hi I was born in 1952 it was a time when music was slowly coming about. The 60's-70-'s was an awesome time when we were trying to find ourselves. Black Betty was a go way of getting myself ready and geared up. Hearing this first thing in the morning would really get me going. Actually, it got me really pumped up for work.
I have always loved this song! Seen this video of Ram Jam countless times. Them throwing down in the backyard, looking like they are just having a cookout and a jam session breaks out!! What fun!! Can only imagine how fun it would of been to be there during this session! Backyard fun at its finest. Enjoyed the video Professor! ❤️💜💚
As an Australian...Black Betty by Ram Jam fit in perfectly with the rise of "pub rock" here along side such luminaries of the art as Bon Scott and ACDC
The thought that keeps coming to me whenever I hear this song is "practice much?!?" Holy cow, this band was tight, tight, tight! And I love the fact that the Lemon Pipers' psych-pop axeman was the one making Black Betty's big riff -- that reminds me of how the Strawberry Alarm Clock's psychedelic fuzz master Ed King went on to fame and fortune playing a totally different type of music with Lynrd Synrd. Moral: It pays to be flexible!
This is one of those songs that elicits an irresistible Pavlovian response... The song comes on and you just can't help but reach over and crank it up!
Professor, I absolutely love your channel. Your extensive research and desire to learn all aspects of any given song is truly a gift that you share with the world. Thank you for that.
I grew up listening to Lead Belly's version starting around age 6 and I heard this one when I was almost 10. Lead Belly had been in and out of prison in early 1900s, including on a "Chain Gang".
Same here. I grew up listening to Leadbelly in the 50s and 60s. Particularly his popular songs like "Irene Goodnight", "Bring Me Little Water Sylvie" and "Rock Island Line". I loved his version of "Black Betty " and did not take kindly to the Ram Jam version !
Haha l literally had a home made cassette in the 80's with Black Betty, Mississippi Queen, and Blinded by the light (Manfred Mann) one after the other. I ran that tape into the ground. What a flash back.
So fun, cruising in a '77 Trans Am with this song blasting. Friend took her dad's screaming chicken back in the day and we cruised Gratiot (Eastside of Detroit area) and local rock station had this song on rotation.
@@debraengdahl1980 I have to say, I favored WABX, I didn't necessarily like Athur Penhollow on RIF. Didn't hate him, he just kinda gave me the creeps. Lol.
If you ever bought a used car, and you were ecstatic to find a cool cassette tape in the glove box, or maybe even left in the stereo cassette deck, then you're really gonna love this channel.
Ha! Word... Reminds me of being a young English teacher in rural Japan in the late ´90s when I was given an old "company car" to drive to classes for 6 months. It had a cassette player, but there was a tape stuck in it though it still played... Paul Simon's "Graceland" on Side A and his greatest hits on Side B. Though Simon is not a personal favorite, I was grateful for the musical layers and solid songwriting of "Graceland" .... Sadly, I have no desire to ever hear it again. ; )
@snipe69 Radio Shack is offering some cool retro styled boom boxes through their online store for around $50 US. Check them out. I just ordered one and will pre-order my cassette of Metallica's Black Album for the 30th anniversary as well.
Saw Ram Jam in between Mother's Finest and Styx (during their tour for "Grand Illusion") on a three act bill at my local auditorium in a small 'Burg in S.C. It all rocked, but the singular bit I remember most was Ram Jam just _killin' it_ with Black Betty. The other very memorable thing was all the kids hoppin' outta their seats to dance in the aisles to Mother's Finest's set. When the security guys asked (and they _asked,_ they weren't jerks about it) them to sit down, the kids politely ignored them, at which point they left the kids alone and let 'em dance! Great memories, I really miss those days.
I'm an old fart, never heard this song back in the day in '77. Then again, back then, I was still listening to WNBC, a strictly top 40 station - I had not journeyed to the dark side of album oriented rock just yet (WNEW). Even so, I absolutely recall the very first time I ever heard this song. It was while in the movie theater watching Blow, a forgettable Johnny Depp vehicle, except for the fact that Penelope Cruz was absolutely unforgettable in that movie. Black Betty came on. "W. T. F. Is. This???" Holy crap, I was blown away. I had to hear that song again. I waited to the end credits to be sure I found the info on the song. It's been an absolute favorite of mine ever since.
Black Betty is a kick-ass classic rock jam, and the video is an awesome backyard jam session. Everyone I know even the Hip Hop fans love this song. Any time it comes on the radio we turn it up and sing along.
I remember listening to this on a top-40 rock station out of Little Rock about 10:00 at night soon after it was released. I was immediately wowed, but never heard it again on that station, I think because of the heat it took at the beginning. I am so glad I can now listen to this whenever I want now.
This is one of the few jams that will always pump me up and get my adrenaline in overdrive. I'd like to thank my father for introducing me to this classic jam. I love the history and story behind this song. Maybe it's one of the reasons it withstands the test of time because it is truly timeless.
1977... I was 16-17. My first car, first joint, first beer, and the first time a girl 'didn't say no!' I was a teen in a time when war was a thing of the past, everyone was getting high, getting laid and rocking at all the parties! I remember "Black Betty," on the radio and in the jukebox at the pizza shop. But I never knew where the song originated. And it was a blues song! Blues, another of my favorite genres. "You go Leadbelly!!"
This song still KICKS ASS!!! The best rendition has to be in the movie "Blow"! Johnny Depp, white turtleneck & shades, walking thru the airport, Black Betty playing! Yeah, Baby!!! Thank you for another great memory Professor! Love you, Love your show as I'm a DIE HARD music lover!!! ❤❤❤ ✌️🤘
I love watching young people react to this song on UA-cam, their reactions are epic because the song is epic. Love that you broke down the history of this as there is a ton of mis-info being posted to this types of vids.
I'm glad I'm not the only one with this guilty pleasure. Watching Millenials hear, and especially see, Janice Joplin, SRV, The Animals, and similar artists for the first time is so entertaining! The moment when their eyes go wide....
_'Black Betty'_ by Ram Jam was an instant classic rocker. Never knew it was created by Bartlett with Starstruck (or even heard of Starstruck) until this video. Never really noticed the gong at the beginning and end of the song. Didn't realize Bartlett was the voice and guitar behind Lemon Pipers either. Decades later, both _'Black Betty'_ and the psychedelic _'Green Tambourine'_ still remain among my favorite songs. Thanks for the knowledge, Professor, which enhances the music even more, while gaining the appreciation for Bill Bartlett he richly deserves.
LOL - my mother's name is Betty, & I used to sing it to her to aggravate her. I was born, raised, & still live in Alabama, graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, so I LOVE this song.
Here on UA-cam is a guy who did a recent telephone interview with Bill Bartlett, the lead singer of the popular tune. According to Bill Bartlett, HIS version is about Bettie Page, the '50's pin-up model. Of course, she was white, but she was always in black garters, etc. You should check out that interview. Bill seems like a pretty cool guy.
I read that interview and it was great. Bartlett did say he grew up in Dayton. I had no idea. Back then most of us thought he was from Manchester, England and when he penned a song titled, "A Bit of All Right" that sealed it for us.
Im an aussie and i reckon the Spiderbait version is fantastic! I can remember dancing to the original at school dicoes back in the 70’s💃🏻🕺 Fabulous song still…:))
Here in Seattle our new bands still rock, hard. With 2 music collages and 50 music venues we're rolling in cool shows and great local bands...no none with enough celebrity status to hypnotize the ignorant hordes of brainless half hearted lemmings. But good music by great musicians. Because that's all that matters right. Not the trappings of fame and celebrity worship right?
I love your attention-to-detailed-trivia analysis of so many great songs and their backgrounds, along with the characters involved in their release. Epic stories that always inform. Magnificent work, Professor!
Bartlett said in an interview he didn't even see the video until years later, and the music on the video isn't recorded by the people in the video, that Ram Jam never cut a version, the audio was all Starstruck from a few years earlier. He also said he wrote the last 2 verses about Betty Page, because he thought she was hot.
Alfred Lagarde was a Dutch D.J. who played this song on the Dutch radio called Hilversum 3 the show was called boton uur ( concrete hour ) It was the first time I did hear the song and I still like it.
I have been singing now since 1993, and this song is the one that gets my audiences fired up the most. I attended the funeral of R&B singer Eddie Hill, who had hits in the 1960s, and he heard me sing this song in the 2000s, and I had to sing it every night he showed up. We also would do it when something is wrong with my baby, but when he died I sang Black Betty instead of a sad song to the Celebration of Life gathering at our bar. You should have seen the reactions and the appreciation for what my man Alabama told me was one of the best versions of that song he ever heard. RIP Bama, and thank you Professor for the background work.
Fun fact: The band in the Ram Jam video is actually Starstruck, not Ram Jam. It was filmed on Long Island on a Sunday Morning at the base player's mom's house for a "British Client" according to Bill Bartlett. He said he never saw the video until years later, when at the Dentist in Ohio, they were playing it on a TV in the office. Bartlett claimed that his added lines to the song were inspired by the 50's pinup girl, Betty Page, not a black woman.
I haven't been to a Boston Bruins hockey game in a while, but I know they used it a lot for them, got the crowd pumped. Still love this song, and glad I FINALLY know the history behind it... Great video as always!!
I know how you feel.... I thought Fire Lake was Tiger Lake. I loved it! Tiger Lake in Mason County, Wasington State is where I grew up. Finding out I was wrong didn't chsnge anything for me....I still sing Tiger Lake😁
My wife thought VanHalen's Panama lyric was "Had Enough", I asked her "what's the name of the song?" POR should do a segment of misheard lyrics just to straighten out all these people. Good thing there are all these lyric sites now. Settles many arguments.
It is odd what can stick in our head. The Song "Peace Train" by Cat Stevens, I have only ever heard the words "Beast Train"...it sort of freaks me out, always has! It seems to be Truth!
@@manstersr I thought my hubs was singing with the Beatles about "Desmond and MOLLY," which is our daughter's name. I thought he was being funny and putting her name in the song. Turns out, no, to my dumb millennial self, Marley is a totally normal name for a girl in the 1960s.
I saw Ram Jam when they opened for Styx in '78. The entire audience just sat there during their set because except for Black Betty nobody knew any of their songs. But when they cranked up Black Betty the place went nuts. They were really tight. Its a shame they didn't have more success.
First time I heard this song I was in fourth grade in 77.. Was at a friend's house, he had and older sister and my buddy goes listen to this... It was Ram Jam.. I was blown away must have played that 45 a few dozen times.. Hooked on hard rock from that day on...
Don't you find it interesting thought that the same people who coined this term of "cancel culture" want to deny the teaching of actual history in school and want to stop the investigation of a coup/riot staged on the US Capitol Building that left a police officer dead. I don't think anyone should "cancel" this song but I do think that there is a point about its lyrics not exactly paying homage to the original done by Leadbelly.
@@wpl8275 Whut?? Did you want the performers to stop in the middle of their jam and make an announcement about Lead Belly's role in a song that had different lyrics for crying out loud? The fact is that the new lyrics tell a sensational story of a man who can't get enough of black Betty. Lead Belly's rendition was so-so.
my favorite is the expression of emotions by the band. But ESPECIALLY by the ladys in the background on and by the bike. they are the real queens of that clip. love em.
The radio play version less than 3 minutes leaves you feeling like you’ve been on the wildest rollercoaster ride of your life. It never stops and your mouth drops open as you ride the rhythm and lyrics.
Ram Jam album was one of six records I got as a prize for selling magazines at school to raise money for prom, I think I also received Fog Hat, Best of BTO, The Grassroots Greatest, The Best of the Guess Who and I don't remember the last one. Recorded them to a 8 track tape so I could jam to them in my 73 Plymouth Cuda'. Love this channel, keep up the fantastic work Adam.
@@mgibby63mg This is s community of celebration and respect. Please refrain from disrespecting people. If you have some constructive criticism, I welcome it but your comment is unacceptable.
I remember back in the late 80s,i bought my first pickup truck. After getting a battery and damn near blowing up the carburetor, it finally cranked over. I drove it home and to my surprise there was a cassette tape in the tape deck. So i decided to crank it up and low and behold the amazing sound of Ram Jam's Black Betty blasted and then and there my mind was blown!! I still see myself and my dad just jamming out on the drive home. That was along ass time ago but i remember it like it was yesterday!!
I'd listen to the K-Tel cut every day in the 70s, on my grade school lunch time. It was years before I heard the full version. Was never really a fan of the extra middle section, but this song is etched in my rocker heart forever, nonetheless.
Sometime in 1980, I think, I was sitting in the backseat of a SAAB 94, tagging along with a couple of older kids to visit a friend. It was a six-hour trip, we were listening to mixtapes. Mostly music that I didn't care about. Then, a driving beat, a burst of guitar playing, some kind of gong sound... it was the radio version of Black Betty. I sat upright and asked what it was, but none of them knew. We all agreed that it was good. The song ended and other songs followed. We stopped to eat, and when we came back I asked if they could play "that song" again. They found the tape and played it for me. We finished the trip, spent two nights and three days, and when I got home the song was still beating in me. I have no idea how I learned the song's name* or the name Ram Jam, but months later I was browsing LPs in my favourite shop: the 'R' tag had been added to my list of tags to check. And there it was. The LP of the record of the band of the Song. *) Ok, the title turned to be what you would guess. But still.
@@markfryer9880 i liked that they addard a bit of aggression, but hate that they left out all the subtleties, and i especially thought they could have done alot more wuth all the double leads.
Professor Adam, you're one of a kind! I was born in '66. Thanks SO MUCH for the daily walks down memory lane. I've early onset alzheimers, and your videos open up snapshots of my life that I've long forgotten.
"Three chords and the truth, my friend."
Sincerely,
Scott
You're very welcome! I'm so sorry to hear that. We will continue to create videos of the soundtrack of your life. Music is the medicine...Peace to you my friend.
rock on man! remember, OLD HIPPIES RULE!
Music is medicine for the brain. Will pray for you, Scott.
@@rayross997 I will say a prayer for you too, Scott! Peace!
Scott, your message here is a true highlight in an internet full of fakes and trolls, it's very heartfelt. Take good care of yourself, I hope you get the best care there is and have many more good years! ♥️
Black Betty and Radar Love are the two most dangerous songs for drivers. So many speeding tickets....
I was just thinking about making such a comment about those two as driving songs and being potentially very expensive for the wallet when I stumbled across your comment.
Don't forget Sammy Hagar-" I Can't Drive 55".
Highway Star ✨ Deep Purple
and red barchetta with all that shifting and drifting mechanical music is guaranteed to get you a ticket when played loud
Don't forget "Ballroom Blitz"
I made a music Playlist for my daughter when she was little that I would play when she was in her hanging bouncy seat. Ram Jam's Black Betty was the song that really got her moving. She still gets excited when she hears it at 17. And she's literally been jamming to this song for nearly her whole life.
wow,i will try this song to my granddaughter who is 11mos old now,cant wait to see her..
My 3 year old Grandson is mesmerized by this tune. As soon as it comes on the TV, he can't focus on anything but this song and dances till it's over. It is so fun to watch him rock out to this classic.
A perfect 70"s setting. Old farm house, clothes without style and backyard party. Midwest at it's best in the 70's
Everything in the 70s had style. 70s style.
Absolutely!
I wish I could find a time machine and cruse back to those sweet long lost days of my youth!
It's so American.
It's the front yard, but still so awesome!
@@MerryLeafField No, take another look. Backyard! Who has access to the basement in the front of a house? No front verandah!
It will stand the test of time..... Ram jams version is brilliant it can't be matched
Best and most thorough deep dive I've ever heard of a fantastic rendition of a fantastic song. It's not often that anyone can totally own a song that's been recorded by the great Lead Belly, but Bill Bartlett took that song and did it so well that he forever owns it. He also gets no credit for the absolutely soaring, smokin' guitar solo which is a damned shame. The guitar, the drums, the bass line, everything about this version is absolute rock perfection. I listen to it pretty much every morning in the shower, really wakes me up the right way.
I always think about right after this song came out. I was sitting at the kitchen table doing my homework when Black Betty started and naturally I had to crank up the radio. What really sticks in my mind is mama walking in and saying “How about turning that down bam ba lam.” And I did right after the song ended. 😁
Guess that’s my main memory for the song.
What a cool Mum.
I had the pleasure of playing some gigs with Bill Bartlett in the 90's (as his drummer). Super nice and humble guy. Thanks for sharing this great story!
Rock on!
HIS drummer ? : )
@@jakeella keeping it simple :-) Any interested parties should know a couple of those gigs were with Live Bait (with Bill on bass), the infamous Oxford, Ohio jam band.
Drummers like to hangout with musicians......so I’ve heard.....
@@pjkentucky 😂
Discovered this by RamJam about 10 years ago when I was stacking music on my iPods. I was in my 60's at the time. Hadn't heard it before and this is the first I learned of its history. Any way, I'm 75 now and still like it!
Welcome to the party.
Whaaat? You’re 60 and you never heard of this diddy? It was a very rocking tune and was played all over the radio.
@@tamuman93 I'm sure it was. I was in the Navy in the mid 1960's and every time we went to sea we missed months of music and groups even. For many years it was very normal for me to hear about music I "missed". It is less common now but still happens from time to time. Like I said I was in my 60's at that time I discovered this. Not uncommon then. I'm 77 now.
@@webbtrekker534 - That makes perfect sense brother. By the way, Thanks for your service.
@Karl with a K Well, the "short" version is I have been a "Public Radio" listener for over 40 years. I hate commercials and commercial radio phony "hype". Most of the stations play music that the commercial stations won't or wouldn't. I discovered Noncommercial radio in the late 60's after I got out of the Navy. At sea we'd go months out of radio broadcast range, (besides I was on a submarine and submerged you heard nothing, I went years with out hearing much music that came and went while we were submerged.) I gave up on TV over 6 years ago. Most isn't worth watching and what is is hard to find that is why I watch "programs" on-line. I run 6 different ad blockers on my computer. I NEVER see an Ad or Commercials just what I want to watch.😃
Back in 77, my family bought a house and I found a 45 of Ram Jam's Black Betty in a closet. I ended up playing it to death.
What a great discovery. I remember finding a Pink Floyd 8 track in the field behind my house and it still played!
That was a great house warming gift
@@ProfessorofRock Young people today would say what's an 8 track. My first stereo had an 8 track player and turntable. It was an old Lloyds
@@markpotemra I remember one of my mum's cars having an 8 track in it. I think that the car originally belonged to my grandfather.
@@ProfessorofRock Ah, the classic 8 track! I remember them fondly, but I'm really glad they fell out of style. Vinyl is always great and cassettes are alright. But with all the different forms to get music on, 8 tracks are rather crappy. I seem to remember listening to the Bay City Rollers 'Saturday Night' on 8 track. Ah, the good old days! I can say that with complete honesty because I was born in September of 1967. Not the greatest year, but close enough to hear all the best rock and roll! So sad that my Boomer parents never appreciated Led Zeppelin and other classic rockers like I did. My mom only ever listened to Stairway to Heaven. I told her that Zeppelin did a lot more than that. Try using the beginning of Immigrant Song as a wake up alarm! Even more alarming than hearing Robin Williams shouting 'Good morning, Vietnam!' in your ear because your cell phone alarm went off next to your pillow!
😳😂
5:46 I love when you recall stories about your dad. My dad was also a big music nerd and passed away two years ago this month. He was also a drummer in a sixties garage rock band who played songs by seattle band, The Sonics
One of the Lemon Pipers was a neighbor of mine. Had VH1 on the TV playing their video and I could see him outside in the distance mowing. Just one of those moments.
Cool.
I am so grateful to this channel for giving the history behind the song. I just remember my father singing the classic rock version by Ram Jam to me when I was a kid. One of my earliest memories of hearing classic rock music. Thanks Dad!
17, 1986, The Black Horse, legendary biker pub southern UK, sun shining, bikes lined up, Newkie Brown and someone plays BB on the jukebox. The happy vibe just got even happier!! 😁
Hi I was born in 1952 it was a time when music was slowly coming about. The 60's-70-'s was an awesome time when we were trying to find ourselves. Black Betty was a go way of getting myself ready and geared up. Hearing this first thing in the morning would really get me going. Actually, it got me really pumped up for work.
Who knew Ned Flanders could rock out like that? DOH! 🤘🤓🎸🤘
That's what I thought! He looks just like him!
Stupid, rocking Flanders
LMAO🤣👍
LMAO! 🤣😂🤣😂
🤣🧠
I have always loved this song! Seen this video of Ram Jam countless times. Them throwing down in the backyard, looking like they are just having a cookout and a jam session breaks out!! What fun!! Can only imagine how fun it would of been to be there during this session! Backyard fun at its finest. Enjoyed the video Professor!
❤️💜💚
Definitely during the 70s. Look at the fashions. I grew up during the 70s.
As an Australian...Black Betty by Ram Jam fit in perfectly with the rise of "pub rock" here along side such luminaries of the art as Bon Scott and ACDC
Very true! Thanks for watching!
@Sub if you are against Antifa and BLM The common theme with both bands was that their front men used to get the ladies into a frenzy.
@Hermes Trismagistus and Spiderbait i think.
@Sub if you are against Antifa and BLM have you given Cold Chisel a try?
@@markfryer9880 make em froth. Hehe.
The thought that keeps coming to me whenever I hear this song is "practice much?!?" Holy cow, this band was tight, tight, tight! And I love the fact that the Lemon Pipers' psych-pop axeman was the one making Black Betty's big riff -- that reminds me of how the Strawberry Alarm Clock's psychedelic fuzz master Ed King went on to fame and fortune playing a totally different type of music with Lynrd Synrd. Moral: It pays to be flexible!
This is one of those songs that elicits an irresistible Pavlovian response... The song comes on and you just can't help but reach over and crank it up!
My 4 year old will randomly belt this one out. It's simply amazing.
Professor, I absolutely love your channel. Your extensive research and desire to learn all aspects of any given song is truly a gift that you share with the world. Thank you for that.
I love how you mix stories of your dad into the music history to add the personal touch that makes everything more interesting!
The lemon Pipers. They were in my hometown of Cincinnati when I was a youngster. They would swing over on Calhoun Street. Green tambourine.
I grew up listening to Lead Belly's version starting around age 6 and I heard this one when I was almost 10. Lead Belly had been in and out of prison in early 1900s, including on a "Chain Gang".
Leadbelly is a true legend. So much influence on what we hear now.
Same here. I grew up listening to Leadbelly in the 50s and 60s. Particularly his popular songs like "Irene Goodnight", "Bring Me Little Water Sylvie" and "Rock Island Line".
I loved his version of "Black Betty " and did not take kindly to the Ram Jam version !
Excellent Excellent history of this kick azz song... 👍👍👍👍
I was in college when Ram Jam sang this song. I love the purity of their version that is timeless.
Loved it. Next on the list should be “Mississippi Queen” by Mountain
Great song!
Haha l literally had a home made cassette in the 80's with Black Betty, Mississippi Queen, and Blinded by the light (Manfred Mann) one after the other. I ran that tape into the ground. What a flash back.
No, Nantucket sleighride!!
OR: Gotta Keep a Runnin by The Godz... 👍
Mountain wasn't really a one-hit wonder tho
So fun, cruising in a '77 Trans Am with this song blasting. Friend took her dad's screaming chicken back in the day and we cruised Gratiot (Eastside of Detroit area) and local rock station had this song on rotation.
WABX, WLLZ & WRIF back in the day! I still live at 9 1/2 (Stephens) & Gratiot Ave.
@@markmarshall7939 I still have a WABX tshirt. 😄
WRIFor wheelz?
@@debraengdahl1980 I have to say, I favored WABX, I didn't necessarily like Athur Penhollow on RIF. Didn't hate him, he just kinda gave me the creeps. Lol.
If you ever bought a used car, and you were ecstatic to find a cool cassette tape in the glove box, or maybe even left in the stereo cassette deck, then you're really gonna love this channel.
@snipe69 oh, man! I wish! Cassette tape players are readily available! Buy one pronto!
Ha! Word... Reminds me of being a young English teacher in rural Japan in the late ´90s when I was given an old "company car" to drive to classes for 6 months. It had a cassette player, but there was a tape stuck in it though it still played... Paul Simon's "Graceland" on Side A and his greatest hits on Side B. Though Simon is not a personal favorite, I was grateful for the musical layers and solid songwriting of "Graceland" .... Sadly, I have no desire to ever hear it again. ; )
@snipe69 Radio Shack is offering some cool retro styled boom boxes through their online store for around $50 US. Check them out. I just ordered one and will pre-order my cassette of Metallica's Black Album for the 30th anniversary as well.
@@amanuesis see my above commemt
Bought a car iit had 8 track in it had ac/dc back in black in it
"Green Tambourine" is still one of my favorite songs. Always thought going from pop to this was cool.
Sitting here learning about Black Betty, watching with my Zenni glasses, and having a ball! Love PoR and the passion about the music of my generation.
What a great time! Thanks for hanging out
Black Betty is a banger! You still see kids wildin' out to this one, gotta turn it up on a road trip!
One of the best examples of shaking in your boots, ROCK!!!
Professor, I can't believe how many songs you pull out of the hat that I don't know... And I grew up in that era for this one!
not even a particularly large hat either. amazing
Saw Ram Jam in between Mother's Finest and Styx (during their tour for "Grand Illusion") on a three act bill at my local auditorium in a small 'Burg in S.C. It all rocked, but the singular bit I remember most was Ram Jam just _killin' it_ with Black Betty. The other very memorable thing was all the kids hoppin' outta their seats to dance in the aisles to Mother's Finest's set. When the security guys asked (and they _asked,_ they weren't jerks about it) them to sit down, the kids politely ignored them, at which point they left the kids alone and let 'em dance! Great memories, I really miss those days.
One of my favorites. Never fails to get me pumped and happy.
I love history. I did not know this about this song. Thank you.
I'm an old fart, never heard this song back in the day in '77. Then again, back then, I was still listening to WNBC, a strictly top 40 station - I had not journeyed to the dark side of album oriented rock just yet (WNEW). Even so, I absolutely recall the very first time I ever heard this song. It was while in the movie theater watching Blow, a forgettable Johnny Depp vehicle, except for the fact that Penelope Cruz was absolutely unforgettable in that movie.
Black Betty came on. "W. T. F. Is. This???" Holy crap, I was blown away. I had to hear that song again. I waited to the end credits to be sure I found the info on the song. It's been an absolute favorite of mine ever since.
Black Betty is a kick-ass classic rock jam, and the video is an awesome backyard jam session. Everyone I know even the Hip Hop fans love this song. Any time it comes on the radio we turn it up and sing along.
I remember listening to this on a top-40 rock station out of Little Rock about 10:00 at night soon after it was released. I was immediately wowed, but never heard it again on that station, I think because of the heat it took at the beginning. I am so glad I can now listen to this whenever I want now.
This is one of the few jams that will always pump me up and get my adrenaline in overdrive. I'd like to thank my father for introducing me to this classic jam. I love the history and story behind this song. Maybe it's one of the reasons it withstands the test of time because it is truly timeless.
I think you nailed it.
1977... I was 16-17. My first car, first joint, first beer, and the first time a girl 'didn't say no!'
I was a teen in a time when war was a thing of the past, everyone was getting high, getting laid and rocking at all the parties!
I remember "Black Betty," on the radio and in the jukebox at the pizza shop.
But I never knew where the song originated.
And it was a blues song! Blues, another of my favorite genres.
"You go Leadbelly!!"
To put oil on the waters, Bill Bartlett said that the song was about Betty Page and her black leather costume (and her black whip)
This song still KICKS ASS!!! The best rendition has to be in the movie "Blow"! Johnny Depp, white turtleneck & shades, walking thru the airport, Black Betty playing! Yeah, Baby!!! Thank you for another great memory Professor! Love you, Love your show as I'm a DIE HARD music lover!!! ❤❤❤ ✌️🤘
I love watching young people react to this song on UA-cam, their reactions are epic because the song is epic. Love that you broke down the history of this as there is a ton of mis-info being posted to this types of vids.
I'm glad I'm not the only one with this guilty pleasure. Watching Millenials hear, and especially see, Janice Joplin, SRV, The Animals, and similar artists for the first time is so entertaining! The moment when their eyes go wide....
Thanks for taking the time to do the research and for loving music from our time and putting down these clips. Much appreciated.
_'Black Betty'_ by Ram Jam was an instant classic rocker. Never knew it was created by Bartlett with Starstruck (or even heard of Starstruck) until this video. Never really noticed the gong at the beginning and end of the song. Didn't realize Bartlett was the voice and guitar behind Lemon Pipers either. Decades later, both _'Black Betty'_ and the psychedelic _'Green Tambourine'_ still remain among my favorite songs. Thanks for the knowledge, Professor, which enhances the music even more, while gaining the appreciation for Bill Bartlett he richly deserves.
LOL - my mother's name is Betty, & I used to sing it to her to aggravate her. I was born, raised, & still live in Alabama, graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, so I LOVE this song.
Here on UA-cam is a guy who did a recent telephone interview with Bill Bartlett, the lead singer of the popular tune. According to Bill Bartlett, HIS version is about Bettie Page, the '50's pin-up model. Of course, she was white, but she was always in black garters, etc. You should check out that interview. Bill seems like a pretty cool guy.
@chi sam He did state that he never lived in Alabama. He had no reason to lie. Clearly, you're an incompetent man with no common sense.
@chi sam Perhaps you should look at the interview before lookin like a damn fool.
@chi sam It doesn't matter that Page never lived in Alabama. That's who Bill Bartlett was referring to in his version of the song, moron.
I read that interview and it was great. Bartlett did say he grew up in Dayton. I had no idea. Back then most of us thought he was from Manchester, England and when he penned a song titled, "A Bit of All Right" that sealed it for us.
True grace in a musician: go outside your comfort zone and make a beautiful cover true to both your style and the original!
I didn’t know these guys were from Cincinnati. I’m proud to say I am too. 👍
I love your channel. I'm from the generation that had the best music EVER!! 60s 70s and 80s!!🎸🥁🎶🎤
I miss real bands. No fuss. Just great musicians playing in the yard. Imagine that.
Im an aussie and i reckon the Spiderbait version is fantastic! I can remember dancing to the original at school dicoes back in the 70’s💃🏻🕺
Fabulous song still…:))
"Music/shows" suck today..you know what I'm saying..
i love when Kansas comes on, always kick ass music
What do you mean "no fuzz"?
Look, solist have a fuzz
Here in Seattle our new bands still rock, hard. With 2 music collages and 50 music venues we're rolling in cool shows and great local bands...no none with enough celebrity status to hypnotize the ignorant hordes of brainless half hearted lemmings. But good music by great musicians. Because that's all that matters right. Not the trappings of fame and celebrity worship right?
Ram Jam Black Betty video is epic!!!!
I love your attention-to-detailed-trivia analysis of so many great songs and their backgrounds, along with the characters involved in their release. Epic stories that always inform. Magnificent work, Professor!
The Boston Bruins use Black Betty often to pump up the fans. Love this song!
Bartlett said in an interview he didn't even see the video until years later, and the music on the video isn't recorded by the people in the video, that Ram Jam never cut a version, the audio was all Starstruck from a few years earlier. He also said he wrote the last 2 verses about Betty Page, because he thought she was hot.
Alfred Lagarde was a Dutch D.J. who played this song on the Dutch radio called Hilversum 3 the show was called boton uur ( concrete hour ) It was the first time I did hear the song and I still like it.
I have been singing now since 1993, and this song is the one that gets my audiences fired up the most. I attended the funeral of R&B singer Eddie Hill, who had hits in the 1960s, and he heard me sing this song in the 2000s, and I had to sing it every night he showed up. We also would do it when something is wrong with my baby, but when he died I sang Black Betty instead of a sad song to the Celebration of Life gathering at our bar. You should have seen the reactions and the appreciation for what my man Alabama told me was one of the best versions of that song he ever heard. RIP Bama, and thank you Professor for the background work.
Was about to go to bed (in Singapore), but then I saw that the Professor put this out - a song I've always been curious about!
Wow! Singapore? Very cool! Thank you for your support!
Ditto storyline, just 4 months later 😉
First became aware of “Black Betty” when watching movie “Blow”. Awesome song, awesome vibe😍
Fun fact: The band in the Ram Jam video is actually Starstruck, not Ram Jam. It was filmed on Long Island on a Sunday Morning at the base player's mom's house for a "British Client" according to Bill Bartlett. He said he never saw the video until years later, when at the Dentist in Ohio, they were playing it on a TV in the office. Bartlett claimed that his added lines to the song were inspired by the 50's pinup girl, Betty Page, not a black woman.
Classic song! Legendary!
I haven't been to a Boston Bruins hockey game in a while, but I know they used it a lot for them, got the crowd pumped. Still love this song, and glad I FINALLY know the history behind it... Great video as always!!
Slice it any way you like it remains one of the tenderest love ballads ever sung.
Oh good grief. I'm nearly 60 years old and I just found out that the "dream tambourine" was a "green tambourine". Love the channel. Thanks Prof
I know how you feel.... I thought Fire Lake was Tiger Lake. I loved it! Tiger Lake in Mason County, Wasington State is where I grew up. Finding out I was wrong didn't chsnge anything for me....I still sing Tiger Lake😁
I was 40-something when I learned that it *wasnt* “You and me and Leslie” groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon.
My wife thought VanHalen's Panama lyric was "Had Enough", I asked her "what's the name of the song?" POR should do a segment of misheard lyrics just to straighten out all these people. Good thing there are all these lyric sites now. Settles many arguments.
It is odd what can stick in our head. The Song "Peace Train" by Cat Stevens, I have only ever heard the words "Beast Train"...it sort of freaks me out, always has! It seems to be Truth!
@@manstersr I thought my hubs was singing with the Beatles about "Desmond and MOLLY," which is our daughter's name. I thought he was being funny and putting her name in the song. Turns out, no, to my dumb millennial self, Marley is a totally normal name for a girl in the 1960s.
They played my High School in '77 and were the best thing we had seen.
The Lemon Pipers were and still are very underrated
I used to play this song in a bad called Druulu. LOVED IT, as did the audience!
I saw Ram Jam when they opened for Styx in '78. The entire audience just sat there during their set because except for Black Betty nobody knew any of their songs. But when they cranked up Black Betty the place went nuts. They were really tight. Its a shame they didn't have more success.
I first owned this recording on a K-Tel compilation album (Fantastic) with other great songs like Hocus Pocus by Focus and Sweet's Little Willie
Great information today! I don't know anyone who does not like this Southern Boogie Blues classic!
First time I heard this song I was in fourth grade in 77.. Was at a friend's house, he had and older sister and my buddy goes listen to this... It was Ram Jam.. I was blown away must have played that 45 a few dozen times.. Hooked on hard rock from that day on...
Looking forward to this episode. Love this song.
It's a great one!
Super video! This is how “about the music” videos should be done.
An amazing song.
The singer took a lot of heat for this song his entire life, even today people are trying to "cancel" this song.
A person is smart. People are stupid....
Don't you find it interesting thought that the same people who coined this term of "cancel culture" want to deny the teaching of actual history in school and want to stop the investigation of a coup/riot staged on the US Capitol Building that left a police officer dead. I don't think anyone should "cancel" this song but I do think that there is a point about its lyrics not exactly paying homage to the original done by Leadbelly.
@@wpl8275 The police officer's death was unrelated to that incident.
@@wpl8275 The only person that died was an unarmed Trump supporter that was murdered by a DC cop.
@@wpl8275
Whut?? Did you want the performers to stop in the middle of their jam and make an announcement about Lead Belly's role in a song that had different lyrics for crying out loud? The fact is that the new lyrics tell a sensational story of a man who can't get enough of black Betty. Lead Belly's rendition was so-so.
my favorite is the expression of emotions by the band. But ESPECIALLY by the ladys in the background on and by the bike. they are the real queens of that clip. love em.
There IS an album version of Black Betty..Very intricate arrangement!
That song stands up, lights a smoke, and struts around the room!
I had no damn idea of the history of this song, amazing.
The radio play version less than 3 minutes leaves you feeling like you’ve been on the wildest rollercoaster ride of your life. It never stops and your mouth drops open as you ride the rhythm and lyrics.
Communication is Key. 🎵💥🎵✌🏻
Ram Jam album was one of six records I got as a prize for selling magazines at school to raise money for prom, I think I also received Fog Hat, Best of BTO, The Grassroots Greatest, The Best of the Guess Who and I don't remember the last one. Recorded them to a 8 track tape so I could jam to them in my 73 Plymouth Cuda'. Love this channel, keep up the fantastic work Adam.
As a drummer, "Black Betty" is one of the hardest songs for me to play on drums 😬
Isn't the music video so cool how he goes after it? Thanks for commenting!
Then you suck ! Horrible song !!
@@mgibby63mg This is s community of celebration and respect. Please refrain from disrespecting people. If you have some constructive criticism, I welcome it but your comment is unacceptable.
@@ProfessorofRock can you block people like this? It's your channel and I hate to see this also.
@@mgibby63mg what do you know .?teach us something if you know anything at all should try and articulate it or be quite troll
Always loved Ram Jam and the 70's-ish breakdown in the middle ala Band on the Run, My Sharona, etc. Super infectious!
You should do “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. That’s got quite a story.
I'll second that.
Whim-o-weh gets lost in Translation from Zulu
@@satanslittlehelper3 But sounds so cool.
A very, very sad story.
At least Pete Seeger turned over all the royalties from his version when he found out who the original writer was.
I'm a US Army vet1980-'88, maybe that's why I love this so much. Misery loves company!
I’ve always been curious of the story of the Ram Jam and Black Betty! Thank you for this video!
I remember playing the guitar opening of Black Betty on a Kazoo... I was about 11 in 77.... Its bloody strange what we remember :)
I think you're about the only one to hit all points and get it right. nice one.
I remember back in the late 80s,i bought my first pickup truck. After getting a battery and damn near blowing up the carburetor, it finally cranked over. I drove it home and to my surprise there was a cassette tape in the tape deck. So i decided to crank it up and low and behold the amazing sound of Ram Jam's Black Betty blasted and then and there my mind was blown!! I still see myself and my dad just jamming out on the drive home. That was along ass time ago but i remember it like it was yesterday!!
I remember back in the day the DJ played it three times in a row because he was getting fed up with people requesting it (dam I'm getting old)
Aren't we all. Down here in New Orleans a D.j. did that too. I was 17 I really miss those days. Old enough to know better but to young to care!
Same year I was born 66 and I'm 55. Body is 15yrs older than me according to the docs. Still young at heart man. Rock till you drop bro👍✌♥️🤘😛😎
I'd listen to the K-Tel cut every day in the 70s, on my grade school lunch time.
It was years before I heard the full version.
Was never really a fan of the extra middle section, but this song is etched in my rocker heart forever, nonetheless.
Songs that pump u up At sporting events RAM JAM ,, WE, WILL ROCK YOU , ,WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS , All 3 songs from the 1970s , 1977 BABY
@@theodoreritola9758 Yeah, but you can only play "We Are the Champions" at the appropriate time.
Sometime in 1980, I think, I was sitting in the backseat of a SAAB 94, tagging along with a couple of older kids to visit a friend. It was a six-hour trip, we were listening to mixtapes. Mostly music that I didn't care about.
Then, a driving beat, a burst of guitar playing, some kind of gong sound... it was the radio version of Black Betty. I sat upright and asked what it was, but none of them knew. We all agreed that it was good. The song ended and other songs followed.
We stopped to eat, and when we came back I asked if they could play "that song" again. They found the tape and played it for me. We finished the trip, spent two nights and three days, and when I got home the song was still beating in me.
I have no idea how I learned the song's name* or the name Ram Jam, but months later I was browsing LPs in my favourite shop: the 'R' tag had been added to my list of tags to check. And there it was. The LP of the record of the band of the Song.
*) Ok, the title turned to be what you would guess. But still.
I can’t hear this song anymore without screaming amberlance in my head!
Amber Lamps dude.
where the damn ambulam?
I guess you hear it where you hear it. How and where others hear it is just part of the fun.
i sing Miranda Lambert for no reason
Now I GOTTA watch the whole video, one of my favorite songs.
The drum work in that song is criminally underrated i think. We used to interview drummers that way. Can you play black betty? No? Sorry then.
What do you think of Spiderbait’s version then?
@@markfryer9880 i liked that they addard a bit of aggression, but hate that they left out all the subtleties, and i especially thought they could have done alot more wuth all the double leads.
The beginning of Stargazer would be another good test.
@@bigham1jb Only if you want to weed out all drummers of the human species.