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'Black Betty' LEADBELLY, Blues Legend

RagtimeDorianHenry RagtimeDorianHenry·1,991 videos
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Uploaded on Apr 15, 2009

" Black Betty "
by LEADBELLY
= = = = = = = = =

The " RED HOT BLUES " (1925-1945)
Texas Alexander
Pink Anderson
Kokomo Arnold
Barbecue Bob
Scrapper Blackwell
Black Ace
Ed Bell
Blind Blake
Ishman Bracey
Big Bill Broonzy
Richard "Rabbit" Brown
Willie Brown
Bumble Bee Slim
Gus Cannon
Bo Carter
Sam Collins
Floyd Council
Gary Davis
Sleepy John Estes
Blind Boy Fuller
Son House
Peg Leg Howell
Mississippi John Hurt
Papa Charlie Jackson
Jim Jackson
Skip James
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Willie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson
Robert Johnson
Tommy Johnson
Charley Jordan
Luke Jordan
Leadbelly
Furry Lewis
Cripple Clarence Lofton
Tommy McClennan
Robert Lee McCoy
Blind Willie McTell
The Memphis Jug Band
Buddy Moss
Memphis Minnie
Hambone Willie Newbern
Charley Patton
Robert Petway
Jimmie Rodgers
Frank Stokes
Sonny Terry
Henry Thomas
Ramblin Thomas
Curley Weaver
Casey Bill Weldon
Peetie Wheatstraw
Bukka White
Josh White
Robert Wilkins
Big Joe Williams

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Top Comments

  • Michael Shapiro

    that sound, the random thumping sound, is him chopping wood. he would sing this while he do day labor in prison (or when he was working when he was out of jail). just a fun little anecdote.

    · 7

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  • WakeWorkRepeat

    I keep picturing him slapping Black Betty's ass whilst getting head, singing this at the same time.

    · 5

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Video Responses


All Comments (1,471)

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  • dwk67

    Ram Jam's version of this used to get played at sports arenas in the south awhile back but they stopped because of accusations of racism because of the mention of Betty being black. Those white boys in Ram Jam did a smokin' cover version in 1977 of this song that is a tribute to the black blues legend who wrote it, and not racist whatsoever. Political correctness is so asinine.

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  • Sherry Cambridge

    He Wrote This Song About My Great Grandmother.

    They Used To Meet Up In The Alley, And, Um,

    Well You Know, Be Makin' Friends.

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  • KustomKulture1107187

    One can never beat the original versions.

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  • Michael Shapiro

    Or perhaps leadbelly was trying to emulate the sound of chopping wood/laboring while singing

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    in reply to Michael Shapiro (Show the comment)
  • Michael Shapiro

    I took a music class in college where we listened to this song, and our professor told us that was the sound of leadbelly chopping wood. Maybe he's wrong or maybe he's right, who cares haha.

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    in reply to Baddaby (Show the comment)
  • Baddaby

    Have you ever chopped wood? That sounds alot more like a man slapping his own thigh than chopping wood.

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    in reply to Michael Shapiro (Show the comment)
  • fishnetsNcigarettes

    you get what i mean.

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    in reply to fishnetsNcigarettes (Show the comment)
  • fishnetsNcigarettes

    all great blues existentialists contributed to rock n roll as we know it today, as well as all other forms of both popular and unpopular music. before it was all in the country then slowly blues became electrified later to create rock n roll as we know it, as well as jazz, jazz rock and a lot of other forms and sub-genres in all aspects of rock music, pop music, etc. and i mean American music. not as a general bias but as a root formation and dialect of real rock n roll. idk. I'm losing my point

    ·

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  • Vanessa Lima

    Muito Precioso = )

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  • mobildetroit

    *cough* unimportant

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    in reply to myaccount611 (Show the comment)
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