GO BACKWARDS MORE OFTEN

I've no spring chicken, that much you may have ascertained.  I've heard a lot of music, done a lot of poking around and given test spins to shit that I wished had never come in contact with my turntable.  No matter how many roads you go down to obscurities in any number of genres, there's always something that's been right under your nose that you never knew about.  The reason why I'm cleaning egg off of my face?  I had no clue Leadbelly did "Black Betty". I could try to wiggle out of this one by saying that I'd heard the cover by Ram Jam to exhaustion back when it was on the charts (1977) and had no desire to dig around for a backstory, but that wouldn't excuse me for not being more familiar with Lead Belly's output. 

The first recorded version of the song was by a convict named Iron Head, recorded while he was incarcerated, by John and Alan Lomax in 1933.  In an interview a year later, Iron Head (real name James Baker) said that his use of the term black betty was in reference to a bullwhip.  Okay, I don't care what you say, any song, and I mean any song, that includes in it's earliest recordings, one by a guy named Iron Head, and another by a guy name Lead Belly, deserves a closer examination. Check the write up at Wikipedia if you have the time.  Just bring your ipad to the john if you have to.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Lead Belly - Black Betty mp3 at Tom Jones International 
Ram Jam- Black Betty mp3 at Safety Fun and Learning 
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Black Betty mp3 at Frequenze Indipendenti 
Melvins - Black Betty mp3 at Frequenze Indipendenti 
Nick Cave - Black Betty mp3 at  L.A.D.R.I. 
Visit: 
Black Betty at Wikipedia