Musician Reacts To Ram Jam - Black Betty || They Are Off The Chain! 🤣

[@setonhillstudios]

*You can support the channel with KZbin Channel Memberships or through Buy Me a Coffee. Never expected, but always appreciated.❤Links in Description!* What an absolute BANGER!!! This video is hilarious and the song is fire!!!

[@cjjoe2385]

Hey mate, step it up with Australian band, Spiderbate covering this song. The singer is also the drummer, and this goes OFF m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKXFpnd6jKt7sJY&pp=ygUWc3BpZGVyYmFpdCBibGFjayBiZXR0eQ%3D%3D

[@cjjoe2385]

Just found a 7 minute live version from Spiderbate. The singer / drummer goes OFF in this one along with the guitarist. Intense 🔥 m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGjHapmZnb-YfKc&pp=ygUbc3BpZGVyYmFpdCBibGFjayBiZXR0eSBsaXZl

[@andrewmccormack4295]

Some people say that Black Betty was a smooth bore rifle that used black powder and the "child" was the slug that was fired, so being fired through a smooth bore it didn't rotate so just more or less went in the "general direction"/going wild of where it was pointed.

[@MaartenVet-ce9px]

Someone once described Bill Bartlett (singer/guitarist) as "what Mountain Dew would look like if it was a person"

[@MetalphysicalMel]

I'll never see him the same again.

[@jenniferandrews1917]

I would say more like Shasta, lol

[@NoLegalPlunder]

The full length version of this song is a must.

[@tempusfugit7662]

Definitiely - you get many more guitar solos and drum fills! I think Ram Jam were pretty much a 1-hit wonder with this one.

[@BlueDragon53]

This is exactly how I grew up, Farm house, Garage Bands. Yard Keg Parties Was a great way to live my formative years!

[@setonhillstudios]

Love that!! 🔥🔥

[@juliecrane9647]

And we talked to each other with no devices in our faces. 😊

[@marcieharreld286]

Black Betty is a civil war musket rifle...the "child" they mention is referring to a remake of the original rifle and it didn't shoot straight...."the child's gone blind"!!!

[@DarrellFanning-bx7xz]

This was the seventies. My life, played many parties in back yards exactly like this. I was so lucky😊

[@AnnaMarie66]

There’s a longer version with an EPIC long instrumental!

[@brianbox4652]

The extended version is so much better!

[@billsager5634]

Ok, get ready for your mind to be blown!! Ram Jam's lead singer/guitarist, Bill Bartlett, was also the lead guitarist/vocalist for the Lemon Pipers, a short lived 1960's band which had a HUGE hit in 1968 with "Green Tambourine" (kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWa5q2CwabV4oc0si=m5OLXNpfYPErLzWL)

[@kenharness1417]

And bassist Arthur Blauvett had previously performed with the Hassles, a band featuring Billy Joel on keyboards

[@bigham1jb]

I do believe it is in reference to muskets. Birmingham in England was where most of the British military arms were made.

[@lesliedavis2185]

You are correct, that is what a black Betty originally was

[@Joseph-f9m7s]

The band I was in in the 70's in HS me on drums, brother on guitar and had bass player, keyboard. We played backyard gigs all the time. Sometimes in our own back , keg party with us providing the live music. One time we even played for small towns political party BBQ. Had a blast back then

[@TheRokjok]

1977.. Sharing lead vocals...guy with glasses is Billy Bartlett. Bartlett was with the 1960's Bubblegum Psychedelic group the Lemon Pipers hits like Green Tambourine, Rice Is Nice, Jelly Jungle. Ram Jam was produced by Kesentz-Katz, two great pop producers in the 60's and 70's. Super K productions produced many a gold single.

[@sweisbrod6109]

Black Bettye, the song, was a work song used by track crews over a hundred years ago to regulate their timing. A much slower version. It was first recorded in the 1930s by Leadbelly, a famous black singer. All kinds of theories about who or what Black Bettye was.

[@setonhillstudios]

Oh cool! Thanks for the insight and appreciate you swinging by! 😁

[@AnnaMarie66]

LEGENDARY song!! My childhood with bands in the front yard in the 70’s & 80’s!! Fun memories 🥰🎶

[@LeviAWilson]

This was always a great song. It's been covered 17 different times, however, the most famous version is by Ram Jam. The lead singer/lead guitar player is Bill Bartlett, but he also can play piano, banjo and harmonica. He's also written dozens of songs. Pete Charles was the drummer for the band. This song has a lot of history. It wasn't written by Ram Jam it was a cover. But they made some rearrangements to it. No other version before theirs sounded like this. Black Betty was performed by an old blues guitar player and singer named Huddie William Ledbetter, better knowns as "Lead Belly". Most people think that Lead Belly wrote it, but it goes back even before him. The song was first recorded in the field by US musicologists John and Alan Lomax in December 1933, performed a cappella by the convict James "Iron Head" Baker and a group at Central State Farm, Sugar Land, Texas (a State prison farm). Baker was 63 years old at the time of the recording. Ram Jam's rock version is sung with slightly modified lyrics. While some may think “Black Betty” refers to a woman, others claim it's a nickname for any number of objects, including a bottle of whiskey, a whip, or even a penitentiary transfer wagon. The song seems to have origins in the 18th century, long before Lead Belly was even thinking about being born. In 1736 Benjamin Franklin published a book called The Drinker’s Dictionary which lists 228 phrases for being drunk. Which in itself is amazing. One of his phrases is “He’s kiss’d black Betty’. This is where the bottle of whisky version of Black Betty would come into it. Certainly, into the 19th century the phrase Black Betty seems to have been more in use. Lead Belly probably picked it up as a traditional folk song while he was imprisoned and working in a chain gang. Some people think that it's a racist song, but it's not a racist song. Ram Jam are actually covering an old African-American work song. I think it's a great tune. Sorry this message is so long, but along with being a musician, I've always looked into a lot of history of music and different songs too. Great reaction.

[@gpxo11]

FYI-the lead singer Bill Bartlett was in another one hit wonder band from the 60s-The Lemon Pipers as lead guitarist with a number one hit Green Tambourine.

[@LoisChisholm]

When I saw you were reacting tot his, I had to drop everything and watch your reaction. This is a great old song.

[@setonhillstudios]

Haha 😂 Such a great tune!

[@lynnw9857]

Still love this song! It came out in 1977.

[@carolespinoza8469]

I love the way he is beating the hell outta those drums. 🔥🔥🔥🥁

[@setonhillstudios]

💯

[@donpardo2510]

@donalschank2302 the composer of the song is unknown. The original recorded version was a Lomax version in 1933. Leadbelly recorded it in 1939

[@henrywilson9928]

I saw them in 1973 they did a free concert on campus and they played this song and tore it up

[@setonhillstudios]

That’s awesome!!! 🔥

[@Jude_196]

OH: THE SYNCOPATION in this one, during the break!! LOVE IT!! FIRE!!

[@ChikaraUTube]

You should check out the full version, 7min 10secs long here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4WVpaGcZ5ifr8U With extended drum break and jam!

[@mickeykmiller]

Now please do a reaction to the full song! The middle break is FIRE!! No video for it tho since our boys like to party. :)

[@donnasmith5942]

Love this song.

[@gerrimcgrath6878]

Love this. I teach aerobics/cardio classes. I have this on my playlists for classes. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@setonhillstudios]

Let’s Goooo!!! 🔥

[@caryd67]

I love the sound of this guy’s toms, nice and juicy sounding, reminds of Billy Cobham’s drum sound. The unfortunate thing about this video is it’s the chopped version. The original is actually around 7 minutes long, check it out because you’re missing a lot of rock

[@CoastalNomad]

Kool Reaction...... Yes, The Rumor/Urban Legend is that they got a budget of $500 (?)... They Hired a cameraman, and spent the rest on Beer and Weed.... and shot it in someone's back yard...... LoL Over Time Black Betty has been used as a slang for different Items..... - 1730's (Colonial) - It was a Type of Whiskey, - 1860's (Civil War) - It was a Rifle/Gun, - 1900's - It was a Vehicle that took you to Jail,

[@setonhillstudios]

That’s hilarious!! 🤣

[@edford1693]

I think that it was also the name used for the whip that the jailors in the Deep South prisons carried to keep the prisoners in line.

[@rhondaserges5136]

Penitentiary wagon is my guess. Lead Belly recorded his version in 1935 at the same session he recorded Pick A Bale Of Cotton which was later a hit for Lonnie Donegan but the original was recorded by James 'Iron Head' Baker, an African American folk singer who had been imprisoned in the Central State Sugar Land Prison Farm in Texas.

[@emerald1805]

It goes back at least 100 years before that - it’s meaning changed as it was passed on to different cultures. It’s English in origin and dates back to the 1700s

[@GeekGinger]

It doesn't get more late 70s than this video. I can smell the skunk weed through the monitor.

[@GrandmaShirley-op4jm]

😂😂😂😂

[@setonhillstudios]

😂🤣😂

[@browniewin4121]

This is great, anyone who isn't moving within the first few seconds hasn't a heart beat and no soul. I think this was released in 1977 but they definitely have that 60's look.

[@dpmarc131061]

Hi , the original song was an Afro-American work song...there are many versions . Without any doubt the most famouse is the RAM JAM one ...I'm 63 years old and I remember when I listened for the first time this song in a Discoteque in the end of the '70s when the punk rock and the rock in general began to take over from Disco Music that had reigned supreme until this moment. We began to let loose with songs like Black Betty or I Was Made For Lovin You Baby by Kiss, Superman by the Kinks, My Sharona by The Knack... I remember that AC/DC, Queen, Sex Pistols, Toto were also playing in the disco, not to mention Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd... in short, guitars had taken over the scene after a few years in which bass, percussion and wind instruments had ruled... then we entered the 80s and keyboards and synthesizers they overwhelmed them... "New Age" had come.

[@jeffreyflint6286]

@dpmarc131061 I hear ya man! Just turned 65 brother

[@AttackChefDennis]

Look for the longer audio version with an extended jam session in the middle after that drum part you liked.. I heard this at age 10-11 on the radio growing up down here in South Florida

[@SD-mw1hz]

Never gets old watching that. They were having fun and sound so good.

[@bonnievonbraun6276]

The "clapping guy" didn't have a instrument because he was usually the lead singer! Or so I heard . . . 😄

[@setonhillstudios]

He was getting it!! 🤣😂

[@jessicaleblanc-nh1yl]

This one is a true classic! It was nice watching you listen to it. They are.were a pretty incredible band. Thanks for sharing!

[@jeffreyflint6286]

This is the radio edition. Now go hear it full length album cut.

[@davidteller7681]

Yes, they cut an extended drum break

[@jeffreyflint6286]

@davidteller7681 for sure. I never did like radio editions. Back in the day it had to be shorter. Queen broke the rule with Bohemian Rapsody. And I say yezzz indeed.

[@StatsJedi]

The album version is not only longer but has a part not seen here where you really have to "buckle in"!

[@firedoc5]

The story goes that the record company gave them money to do the video, but they blew much of it on pot, so they had to do a much cheaper version. The cheapest they could do was in the back yard with friends and family. This is their one-hit-wonder, but they did have some regional success in their area. A couple of their songs did make it on radio, but didn't get the airtime they really needed.

[@setonhillstudios]

That’s hilarious!!! 🤣

[@reallymysterious4520]

The song was first recorded in the field by US musicologists John and Alan Lomax in December 1933, performed a cappella by the convict James "Iron Head" Baker and a group at Central State Farm, Sugar Land, Texas (a State prison farm).[11] Baker was 63 years old at the time of the recording. The Lomaxes were recording for the Library of Congress and later field recordings in 1934, 1936, and 1939 also include versions of "Black Betty". A notated version was published in 1934 in the Lomaxes book American Ballads and Folk Songs. It was recorded commercially in New York in April 1939 for the Musicraft Records label by Lead Belly, as part of a medley with two other work songs: "Looky Looky Yonder" and "Yellow Woman's Doorbells". Musicraft issued the recording in 1939 as part of a 78-rpm five-disc album entitled Negro Sinful Songs sung by Lead Belly.[12] Lead Belly had a long association with the Lomaxes, and had himself served time in State prison farms. Lead Belly was first recorded by the Lomaxes in 1933 when he was approximately 44 years old. John Lomax helped Lead Belly get the recording contract with Musicraft in 1939.

[@knockoutking3764]

His guitar playing is AMAZING!!

[@markk.4941]

Black Betty was a Musket rifle made in Birmingham Alabama. Black Bettys child was a pistol Bam-ba-lam was the sound the flintlocks made when fired.also sounded like Chick-a-boom Damn thing gone blind was a missfire or blow back in the breech area blowing up in the users face causing blindness.

[@setonhillstudios]

Oh snap! Appreciate the breakdown! 😁

[@emerald1805]

@markk.4941 Someone who actually understands the true background of this version! Thank you! However there are earlier, slightly different versions which date back to the English military in the 1700s.

[@chercee]

Just jammin' in the back yard with my friends!

[@loisr3970]

Wooo the party 🎵 song. So much fun everyone got up!😂

[@dagmar.6954]

"Black Betty" was Ram Jam's only big hit in 1977. But it is one of the most fun & energetic songs. Just some dudes hanging out in someone's back yard & jamming out. Love it! "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. While some may think “Black Betty” refers to a woman, others claim it’s a nickname for any number of objects, including a bottle of whiskey, a whip, or even a penitentiary transfer wagon.

[@irmaoksanen6830]

Love this song from my formative years. Put it in the same category with Georgia Satellites, sort of a one hit wonder. I knew you were going to love this being a drummer. There is more to this song. This is the edited radio version.

[@kriskammeraad3955]

I saw them open up for Foreigner in 1977 at the Metro Ice arena in Lansing, MI. Rockin show.

[@bobjones5166]

This song and "Green Tambourine" put him into a category all to himself. He is the only person to be a "one hit wonder" twice, in 2 separate bands. Just my $0.02

[@marcieharreld286]

Which other band was he in?🤘🤘🎶🎼🎵

[@bobjones5166]

@@marcieharreld286 The Lemon Pipers

[@marcieharreld286]

@@bobjones5166 OMG!!! I remember them!! Wow...showing my age!!😁😁

[@gwynnelovas7702]

This is an old African work song from like the old days. It was originally recorded in 1933 and it was written by somebody named Leadbelly. And it's true I think they had a $500 budget and they bought beer and decided to have a party and did it outside in the backyard that's their house

[@Dennis-DK2]

AFRICAN?

[@gwynnelovas7702]

@@Dennis-DK2 well sort of slave music not really African music but since the slaves were from Africa

[@kevinmarshall854]

It is what they used to call the old musket ball pistols.

[@leeyaferguson9019]

That's how told by my dad.😊.

[@taniaPBear]

Such a great track and the video kicks, I love it just how it is. The meaning is something we'll never know, no one is even 100% sure how far back it dates, I think it's all part of the fun of it though. Thanks so much, that was awesome. ✌❤

[@Newfie-zc7ug]

When I saw that you were doing this ...........I said...........oh boy , he's gonna love this one. LOL :)

[@setonhillstudios]

Such a great tune! 🤣

[@jmpmusva]

The song works because Black Betty has different meanings......and because it rocks! This could only be in the South. I lived this vibe. The video captures it perfectly.

[@traceycater]

I lived outside of Detroit and we partied like this too! Fun times!!

[@kimmycook2698]

The famous video...they were given money to shoot this video...but spent it on 'other' things...so this is what we got. Perfection. My moms name is Betty and this is her ringtone in my phone...we are also from alabama, Roll Tide.

[@billsimonis]

i think the guitarist was the former member tof the hippie group the Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine

[@ontheroad5317]

The singer is exactly what we all looked like in high school.

[@setonhillstudios]

😂🤣😂

[@LynnBartlett-un2vp]

You are right. They had a few hundred dollar budget. So they set up in a back yard and blew the money on "adult beverages" and basically partied. also, this is a over 100 year old song that was a old wartime song. and I've heard numerous times that "black betty" was a big gun that if it wasn't loaded properly would cause you go go blind. Lots of interesting stories about this song but, these guys rock it out perfectly.

[@setonhillstudios]

That’s hilarious! They definitely rocked it out for sure!! Thanks for the insight! 😄

[@DavidNSRailfan]

Ram Jam's lead singer, Bartlett, said that his version of the song was inspired by a 1950s pinup queen named Betty Page

[@RockinMamaT]

Let's Gooooo! Apparently the band manager gave them 500 dollars to shoot a video and they spent it on weed and beer and this is why it's done in the backyard 😂 If you haven't heard Battlescar from Rush and Max Webster collab...you will love this one especially Neil's drumming. Great reaction and Peace out 🙏 ✌️ ☮️

[@barbarabisson2551]

Song's a compilation...a musket with subsequent pistol with a bad eye was the initial stanzas (probably a marching ditty); Later verses were added about a woman (for length, probably).

[@jessejamessimons483]

All right my brother Stephen.... I must say this one is full tilt boogie ‼️💯🔥🔥🔥🤘🏻😎🤘🏻

[@setonhillstudios]

No doubt!! 🔥🔥

[@caseymcgrath4258]

This is a reinterpretation of a song by the original artist known as Ledbelly (Lead Belly) from the 1930's.

[@Jude_196]

I had heard they did the video in the back yard and bought smoke with the rest of the money!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@setonhillstudios]

🤣😂🤣

[@amicouvillionwilson1824]

I absolutely love the "hype" man clapping 🤩 !

[@setonhillstudios]

🤣😂🤣

[@christianmarler2253]

The lead guitarist/singer looks like either Warren Zevon or the hitchhiker that Wyatt ("Captain America") and Billy pick up at the beginning of Easy Rider.

[@daredevildaryl2645]

No double bass drum sets in the 60's that I'm aware of. What a great one hit wonder

[@user-pe9gz8si8k]

This song is an adaptation of a civil war chant. Black Betty was the name of the rifle that was issued during that time. Often known to have a few problems.

[@stephenpresley5772]

Great song and reaction

[@gracemichelli.2am124]

Great reaction ❤

[@setonhillstudios]

Thanks so much! 😄

[@dianamcmullin5231]

Go find the full version. One of the best first solos in rock and roll

[@rogerreed905]

Ive heard an interview with Bill Bartlett saying the band you see here is not the band that recorded the song in the studio . .

[@michaelpennington9327]

This song started out as a prison work song. There is a very early recording of prisoners singing it on a prison work farm. It’s on KZbin. Black Betty refers to the truck or wagon that brought the inmates to the prison. It could also refer to the whip that the guards used to punish the prisoners.

[@emerald1805]

Sorry, but this song is at least 100 years older than that. It is English in origin & dates back to the English military in the 1700s

[@DavidNSRailfan]

It was a ONE HIT WONDER!!!

[@christianmarler2253]

I probably wouldn't have even noticed the guy who's just clapping until you pointed him out. Now he's the only one I'm watching. (I wonder if a tambourine was not in their budget.) 👏😁

[@brianmiller616]

EVERY biker in America (including me and my wife) has partied at this house! At least one that looks like it. I have heard it is whiskey, a gun, a woman who knows?

[@setonhillstudios]

Either way, it’s a killer tune that’s for sure!

[@markdecker6190]

The story I read was that some rich person (from Great Britain?) was paying for them to produce a short version of the original song just for his own use. The record company gave them some small amount of cash so they bought some beer etc and they recorded in someone's backyard (on Long Island?). Anyway, the studio version is almost identical but is about a min and half longer due to the excellent extended middle guitar solo. This live video version looks like it was pieced together from at least two takes because the people in the background kept switching locations, and of course the gong was overdubbed.

[@RonnyWestberry]

this song dates back to early 1800's or before. it was a English military song, a black slave field workers song, blues song , and finally a rock song . so many years and rewrites. each version is different and black betty has different meaning . I think in this version he is talking about a woman . if you listen to the lyrics it seems is easy enough to understand. black betty had a child , makes me feel right, always ready, shakin that thing with these lyrics. I only see one way of interpreting it. older versions have different lyrics

[@barrycohen311]

A young, Dr. Phil McGraw on bass on this song.

[@dennisprice6465]

Stop it

[@lauravickery5504]

I think the first part is about the gun, the second part is drugs, the third is about a woman. They covered all of them!

[@setonhillstudios]

Shewee!!! 😄

[@LynnBartlett-un2vp]

I think you are,correct. First was the old.wartime gun and second verse was what they used to call heroine. I heard these guys added the third verse in the 70's.

[@kimcutts6153]

This is a really old Blues song. The original was by Lead Belly way back in the 30's! A one hit wonder for Ram Jam, but a great tune. A Black Betty is an old gun of some sort. Glad you like it SteVen. 👍🔥🎸🥁

[@emerald1805]

This song is far older than Huddy Ledbetter’s version. It can be traced back to the 1700s in the English military.

[@Snowflakeatheists]

There is not enough of this accent in media. I’m not American and this is top 3 accents

[@LesKrupa]

Many theories, myths, half truths about this song. No one really knows the full truth. Listen to the full album version, great.

[@kevinmarshall854]

According to the members of the band the record company gave them $600 to make a video and they decided to spend it on beed and weed and shoot the video in the back yard of one of the members parents. That was rock and roll in the 70's!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@kevinmarshall854]

Look at the lead singer's eyes!! We is completely wasted!!

[@setonhillstudios]

😂🤣😂

[@jasonwalker7916]

I heard 500 dollar budget. Filmed in one of the members back yard. Listening to the lyrics I believe black Betty is a woman.

[@reallymysterious4520]

There's an audio version you can listen to on your own which is a few minutes longer

[@PaulArnold-z1o]

A band called "Spider bait" does a bang up job of this song & cool video too !

[@brewstergallery]

Pure 70's. One hit wonder but hot!

[@mojobag01]

A rifle, a whiskey bottle and a lady of the night.

[@shauncronin3961]

The clapping guy is the lead singer took a back seat for this song

[@DaTo-k1o]

Dude you have to do Jackyl. I stand alone, YOULL LOVE IT

[@Eurynomea]

We adopted a cat a year ago and he's black...my husband just called him Black Kitty...then added "Bamalam"...since he's male, couldn't name him Black Betty, but his legal name became Bamalam. Love this song and video, even if it's shorter than the one traditionally played on Ozzy's Boneyard.

[@setonhillstudios]

That’s hilarious and I dig the name!! 😁

[@michaelhillmann3460]

1st verse is about a civil war musket, 2nd vs is about a bottle of whiskey and the 3rd verse is about a woman. At least that is what I was told.

[@kierstenridgway4634]

It's about what sounds like it's about. A woman.

[@rickfarrar1948]

You should check out the song, Long cool woman in a black dress by The Hollies.

[@setonhillstudios]

@@rickfarrar1948 It’s on the channel! Reviewed it yesterday! Such a banger! 🔥

[@sourisvoleur4854]

The song is very old and the original "black betty" could have been any number of things. Musket is one possibility. Whip. Others. In this incarnation of course it's referring to a woman from Birmingham who shakes that thing and is always ready.

[@MikeHart72]

I’ve always assumed the song was about getting drunk or a favourite liquor, don’t know why it’s just my take on the song. To me, I’m sure I’m not the only one, it’s an awesome party/drinking tune. I didn’t hear it very often until I was old enough to hit the bars. When the song came on the whole place sang along. I could be wrong but I prefer my view lol

[@delseatube1700]

Definitely one of my feel good songs. Shame it was a one hit wonder. Great reaction. 😁👍🏾

[@setonhillstudios]

Really appreciate it! It’s a banger for sure! 🔥

[@LemonScreech]

Similar vibe, The Screaming Eagles - Roll ‘n Roll Soul.

[@woahblackbettybamalam]

Nice

[@setonhillstudios]

Love the profile pic and user name! 🤣

[@45twice]

👍