Black Betty

"Black Betty" (Roud 11668) is a 20th-century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are by James "Iron Head" Baker and Moses "Clear Rock" Platt, not Lead Belly. Some sources say it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material. There are numerous recorded versions, including a cappella and folk. The song was eventually, with modified lyrics, remade as a rock song by the American band Ram Jam in 1977.