I cannot understand how you’ve never heard this song. It’s a classic.😂

His grandma is in the kitchen of that house making sandwiches for her grandson's friends 'cause they are working so hard. And some lemonade!

I was a teenager in the 70's and yes that was the Best era of music.....Ever!

Bill Bartlett is one of the most underated guitarists in Rock and roll history!!!

The lead singer, Bill Bartlett, built his own guitars, really great guy he is

This is a shorter version, to bad he didnt hear the solo

Yeah, “lemonade” that’s what they enjoyed in those days...

Hun, let me tell you, the 70's was the best time, musically, to be young. It's great to see a new generation appreciate the music I grew up with.

This song is still on my play list. It cracks me up watching you youngsters dig the stuff I have been jamming on for 40 years.

If you're diving into older music. You gotta do "Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song" I'll bet you anything, you'll know it once you hear it

Black Betty is the one-hit-wonders of all one-hit.wonders. Insanely good song and the way they performed it is insane, regarding the fact that they did not do anything as good as this neither before nor after. A classic rock song in all regards.

It was an incredible time, actually they stayed outside with some beers and some good weed! This is how we partied in the seventies, everybody parked in the yard and whoever played instruments brought them, when a group was formed somebody would start singing! The rest is history!

Basically Alex, you listened to a trimmed-down version of this song The full-length version is much more epic

Powerman 5000- When Worlds Collide

that was a great decade & I was lucky to be in my 20's throughout. We smoked a lotta dope, drank way too much, wore our hair long, with hip hungers & bellbottoms & hung out in communes & were treated to the best damn rock music by so many iconic bands...& I remember this song.

The more reactions I see the more I appreciate being GenX lol. We really had great music.

It's not so much the shreddin' riffs and the hard drivin' rock drumset beat...it's the lyrics that really touch my heart. Bless.

Just some down to earth guys, in their backyard, in their everyday casual clothes, no special effects, no auto tune, just jamming out & loving music....Loving your reactions, all the way from Canada !!! 😃

I know this song for over 25 years, tried to play it on drums, but never seen the music video so far. It's f***ing awesome like the song itself!

“And then they went inside and had lemonade” 🤣🤣🤣 It was the 70s, more likely they went inside, hit the bong and did some blow! 😁😁😁

If you want funky: “Play that funky music white boy” is your jam.

This song is one I literally grew up with, I love this song. Whenever we had a big get together with my Dad's side of the family, we often played this song, got into a massive circle and just rocked the hell out. Even my aunts, who weren't so much metal heads in comparison to my uncles, every one of us just headbanged along to this and sang it louder than anyone. Such good memories! Now everyone's older and we don't do it so often anymore.

I was raised in a small town in Alabama. It was nothing unusual for a group to gather at someone's house on a Saturday to play music and sing. Sometimes we would still be sitting on the back porch listening to the radio and drinking coffee as the sun came up. Fabulous memories.

Now I’m gona have this song stuck in my head for the next 758 days! 🤣

The 70s were pretty awesome! Plus we got to live through all the great music that followed!

This song was HEAVILY edited. They cut out the WHOLE guitar solo!!!!!!

I love the way you noticing he's smiling 1st one ! He's smiling because he knows song is crazy but he loves it. I was 15 when this came out I still love it!!!

Such a dope musical song with crazy riffs and drums. The name 'Black Betty' has different meanings, that differs from place to place. But originates from the prison song and 'bam-a-lam' was what the prisoners called whiplash from guards. But again, it has different meanings.

The greatest one hit wonder you'll ever watch from someone's back yard haha

And thats the short version. He missed an epic solo

The original version of the song was performed by a blues singer named Leadbelly.

Wow, what a unique insight into the Black Betty being the rifle and her child being the musket ball. In my 53 years, a good chunk of which i have known this song, I had never put that meaning into it. I have no idea if this is the meaning of the song, but its just a new thing to ponder. Thank you - HB

I've heared this song so many times, but never seen this video! So thanks for showing the video! 😂

I took it as a double entendre. Killer song from way back. 👏 You nailed it in your commentary about the times back then. 👍

I grew up in the 60's and 70's in Seattle and must have gone to a million of these first level gigs! Word always got around & off to the country or surrounding tank towns we'd go. Always held in someone's yard, field or barn. A donation towards a keg and the band and then party hearty. Afterwards always jam sessions so bring your instrument. Often crashed for the night. Heard so much terrific music and such great memories. So many singer/songwriters, everyone played at least one instrument! What a blast!

Born in 67 this is how I remember what my parents, aunt's uncles etc and baby sitters looked like. Between my mom and baby sitters that's where the love of music comes from.

Stone Sour- Gone Sovereign/Absolute Zero

They didn’t go inside for lemonade, they went in for a cold Coors or shine

This was my house in the late 70s. Great times. Dirt bikes, old army camo, bad Mexican weed, and rock and roll.

Ram jam´s one of the best of Rock & roll bands!!! I salute from Chile!

Gotta LOVE this song! Such a classic.

Oh, you want to go classic? 😏 Slow Ride. Mississippi Queen. Fly Like an Eagle. Highway Song. La Grange. .....

I love that the band looks like they're enjoying them selves, they're having so much fun.

Bill Bartlett said that the last two verses are about Bettie Page, a poster gal from the 50s. The first verse, attributed to Leadbelly - Bartlett said he has no clue about what Leadbelly's version was referring to. Maybe muskets. Most likely not, from what I have gathered, although I am still not strongly convinced either way. Appreciated your energy and perspective. I remember being a kid around this sort of party, and people with hair and clothes like that. Especially in '76. It was our country's birthday, Saigon just fell, the hippies were fired up and had their subculture, heavy metal was being born and the worst STD out there was just the syph. Times were a-hoppin'! 8-)

Now you need to react to the Spiderbait cover of this song

React to Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf

Take it from somebody who was a teen in the 70's . It was an AWESOME time to be alive! 😁👍

I will never get over how Bill Bartlett (the lead singer/guitarist) looks exactly like my uncle, he even wore the exact same style of glasses as Bill in this video, right down to the color and darkness of the tint. The resemblance is so spot on that I had to look up more information about Bill to make sure that Bill Bartlett wasn't just my uncle's stage name.

WHEN This SONG Came out IN 1974 I was 10 yrs OLD,. I LIKED THE SONG,

No way you haven’t heard black Betty, I’m like 15 now and if my dad didn’t show me any of the music from his era I don’t know how I’d live with myself, 70s and 80s music is the best

I used to work with a black woman named Betty. We would start singing thus when she showed up for her shift. She loved it and would start dancing

This song has been around since at least 1919! Lead Belly was probably the 1st one to bring it more into the mainstream.

Yes, when music took talent and showmanship..

If you've never laughed harder than that, you have never laughed at all before.

Went to a lot of these parties in the 70s. Don't remember much after the sun went down.😁

I'm the biggest traditional country music fan in existence, and I've heard of this song and band.

Fun fact This song is actually a cover from Teaxs prison 1933

Great reaction, Hef. This is classic. My son, who loves Metallica, loves this as well. Cheers

What your favourite college professor gets up to at the weekend. Immortality in two minutes twenty four seconds.

I feel so lucky to have grown up in the 60's and 70's. We had the best bands and musicians.....just pure raw talent..

This song is only in like every War / Military movie out there!... lol.

..so I can easily say that you've never played Need for Speed..

WELCOME TO SOUTHERN ROCK!!💜🤟🎵🎼🎶😉 This country needs outdoor jam sessions again!!! Truly LOVED your reaction!! Here to stay!!😉😉

I read in one of the comments that this was in the front yard. To this day, when this song comes on I crank it. It is the jam.

I thought everyone knows Ramjam "Black Betty". I listen to a lot of old songs myself. Try some CCR, Bachman Turner Overdrive, or the Who.

The 70's and 80's were the greatest time to be alive. No Karens to tell you "No".

I recalled back in the 70's this was often played on White radio stations and but never on Black radio stations. I can imagine why. However, after all these years, I enjoy listening to it again.

The best comment I've seen on this music video is pointed at the lead singer saying, "if Mountain Dew was a person." Friggen gold 😂😂😂

So... You never heard 70s classic "Black Betty"? What about 60s classic "I Get Around" by the beach boys?

A lot of debate about the meaning of the song. The musket theory is because there was a less reliable successor to the "Black Betty" musket. The "child" goes wild. The child goes blind.... Etc However, there's also a theory that it was an old slave song about a wagon that picked up the dead called Black Betty. I don't remember all the details, but it was equally interesting and compelling. The last theory is that the song is about a prostitute. I personally think it is the most likely meaning, but who knows?

I'm 66 and Dude you would have fit into the 70s. You have the look and attitude!

Thanks for posting this, I had a good laugh as well!...At you.

we had FogHat play in my neighbors front yard for a personal concert we won on a radio station. it was fricken amazing and their song Slow Ride was awesome

Ever heard The Beatles, Helter Skelter? Easily the hardest song they ever did!

Being a teenager in the 70s was indeed cool -- especially seeing bands like Led Zep, The Who, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Allman Brothers, et al, LIVE before they began croakin off.

Post Vietnam music is so iconic. The American way of life, the economy and politics were going through a major historic shift. The music of that time spoke to both sides of a nation that was so divided.

As I Lay Dying: Nothing Left. Then a follow up reaction of As I Lay Dying: The Sound of Truth. The videos go together and are amazing!

You need to check out Rainbow!. Kill The King, Stargazer , lady of the Lake, Gates of Babylon, and Man on the Silver Mountain

thank you SOO much for recognizing the beauty of that Gibson guitar

That song is iconic . . .glad you reviewed it!!!

You will love Hocus Pocus by Focus. Just do the live version. ;)

If you want great classic rock listen to The Animals- The House of the Rising Sun

It’s pretty cool how this is simultaneously hilarious and also kicks so much ass.

This song always has shades of Deep Purple to me... loved this era!

And now you've got to check out Spiderbait's version of Black Betty.

Stone Sour - Gone Sovereign/Absoulute Zero Shinedown - Sound of Madness Black Stone Cherry - Lonely Train

Love your reaction. I was a kid listening to a radio in 1977 in DC, song knocked my socks off- then I went to see Star Wars in the theater....

I used to hang out with some of the band. They're from Long Island, NY. The bass player Howie was in Billy Joel's first band, The Hassles.

Anyone who played NFSU2 heard this song at least once. I know that the game version was a cover, but still

20 in the 70's, I was there, it was yuge.

Your reactions are so fun to watch Alex! I love this song and was really stoked when I saw that you made a reaction video out of it! The part that I laughed so hard was when you said you could imagine them going in for "lemonade." 😄 Yeah. I don't think lemonade was even invented until after the 70's! 😉😄

Maybe it took a long time for You to literally listen to this song, but now You finally did it! And You totally felt the vibe, that comes with it! 😁 It's absolutely classic!! To everyone who said, 'never heared this song is impossible' - if you know this song that well, have you also known, what it was about?? Yeah, that's what I thought, so thanks to Alex for reacting to this one and making us realize the meaning of it!! Well done, Alex!!

Look up definition of one hit wonder and you’ll see Ram Jam.

This song is such a classic I had no idea that's what that Black Betty was about.. A musket ?!?!

My high school guitar teacher was in RamJam, he’s in the video as the guitarist on the right, the one that doesn’t sing. His name is Jim Santoro. Really nice guy, had him for two years for two different guitar classes.

The guitar player and singer is Bill Bartlett from The Lemon Pipers back in the 70"s. When I first learned that I went WT....

Wasn't expecting a reaction to such a classic song, though I do hope you check out the cover by Spiderbait sometime :)

epica storm the sorow please

Back in the 70' we would have jams in the woods like this on the weekend.

You are the first/only reviewer that got the meaning of the song, which sounds so much like its about interracial sex that this song got almost no airplay on the radio. Hit si gle from the album "I F☆ck Like A Beast", which was sold with a parental warning label.