Whoa Black Betty performed by prisoners first bam - ba - lam. #rock #80srock #blackbetty #rockstar

Long ago I had always heard that the actual song Black Betty was written by an elderly black man written while he was in prison.
If that isn’t totally accurate, at least it is true it was performed by a black fellow while in prison and here is the whole story.@Rockfunfacts
This song has a long history - it was recorded by Lomax in the 1930s and has been heard by many people over the years. There are also altered field recordings from 1934, 1936 and 1939, and Lead Belly recorded it in New York in 1939 for Musicraft Records. It was released as part of their five-disc set, "Negro Sinful Songs." Lead Belly's version was a capella, but some later versions had guitar accompaniment too. Odetta recorded it with musical instruments in 1964, Dave Ray did a version in 1964, and Manfred Mann did a version of it on his LP in 1968 called "Big Betty." Manfred Mann's band even performed it for the BBC, but it wasn't released.

At first glance, "Black Betty" appears to be a person. However, in the mind and soul of the artist, many things can be seen as personified. A song with many meanings is the best type of song. Perhaps there is no such thing as a "true" meaning. There are just many meanings that can be understood by many people if they want to.
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https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200196225

Black Betty · James 'Iron Head' Baker, R.D. Allen & Will Crosby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH9iitnO6OI