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Song · Ram Jam

“Black Betty” by Ram Jam

Released 1990

“Black Betty” by Ram Jam appears on 72 radio countdowns from 25 stations between 1993 and 2026. It was first released in 1990. Its best result is #53 on the WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,975 alternative song of all time.

72countdowns
25stations
#53best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1993–2026years charted

Watch

Ram Jam - Black Betty (Official Video)

Video from YouTube (RamJamVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Ram Jam took "Black Betty" off the work gang and plugged it in. The song began as an African-American work song, usually credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, though the earliest recordings belong to James "Iron Head" Baker and Moses "Clear Rock" Platt, and it had already been sung a cappella and strummed as folk by the time the American band got hold of it in 1977.

They changed some of the words and turned it into a hard rock stampede on Epic, a riff that charges like a runaway freight train and a hollered chorus that dares you not to join in. That arrangement stuck: the later hit versions by Tom Jones and Spiderbait kept its structure.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1993 89 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1993) 100
1994 944 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 996 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 1000 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1998 951 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 1000 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 999 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 312 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 470 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 311 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2010 225 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 377 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 272 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 380 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 296 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2013 321 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 704 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 322 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 337 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 305 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 320 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 275 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 311 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 363 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 451 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 324 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 389 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 299 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 475 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 247 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 297 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 449 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 314 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 175 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2020 626 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 470 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 156 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 418 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2021 216 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 500 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 345 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 307 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 370 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 195 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 223 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2022 648 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 76 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 215 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 188 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 422 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 210 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2023 382 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 184 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 413 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 179 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 215 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 142 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 460 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 415 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 664 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 146 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 143 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 199 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 520 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs 850
2025 143 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 222 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 411 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 139 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 53 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 102 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 147 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 333 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500

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