Ram Jam
Formed in the mid-70s, Ram Jam was an east coast US group best known for its one Top 20 single, "Black Betty", in 1977. That song was the focus of a boycott by several groups who considered it offensive to black women, even though it had originally been written by Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, the legendary black folk and blues singer. The group consisted of guitarist Bill Bartlett (b. 1949), bassist Howie Blauvelt (formerly a member of Billy Joel's early group the Hassles), singer Myke Scavone and drummer Pete Charles. Bartlett had earlier been lead guitarist with the Lemon Pipers. After leaving that group, Bartlett retired from music for some time, before recording a demo of the Lead Belly song. Released on Epic Records, it reached number 18, but the group never had another hit. In the UK they succeeded twice, first in 1977 (number 7), and then in 1990 a remix version made number 13, making them a quite extraordinary one-hit-wonder.
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Albums
- (2007) The Very Best Of Ram Jam
Top Tracks
- Black Betty
- Wanna Find Love
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