"Black Betty" is a 20th century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter as the author, though some sources claim it is one of his many adaptations of earlier folk or pop material. The song was first recorded in the field by U.S. musicologists John and Alan Lomax in 1933, performed by the convict James Baker (also known as Iron Head) and a group at Central State Farm, Sugar Land, Texas. 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 Leadbelly, as part of a medley with two other work songs: "Looky Looky Yonder" and "Yellow Woman's Doorbells". Leadbelly had a long association with the Lomaxes, and had himself served time in State prison farms. While Leadbelly's 1939 recording was 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. Bob Dylan parodied the song in his novel Tarantula (published 1971). 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. Dance remixes of "Black Betty" in 1990 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 March 2004: this version can be heard in the movies Without a Paddle, The Dukes of Hazzard and videogame Need for Speed: Underground 2. In 2006 the University of New Hampshire administration controversially banned the playing of Ram Jam's Black Betty at UNH Hockey games in an effort to be "sensitive" and to foster a culture of "diversity". 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 1976 Starstruck 1977 Ram Jam, US #18 1986 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Kicking Against the Pricks album 2002 Tom Jones 2002 Throttlerod 2004 Spiderbait, AUS #1 2006 Meat Loaf, Bat Out Of Hell III single B-side External links Black Betty at the All Music Guide http://www.freeblackbetty.com/ Search Term: "Black_Betty" Categories: 1933 songs | 1977 singles | 2001 singles | African American culture | American folk songs | Leadbelly songs