![]() and Alan Lomax's 1934 book, American Ballads and Folk Songs describes the origins of "Black Betty": The whiskey was offered to the bridegroom first and then successively to each of the groom's friends. Upon securing the prize, referred to as "Black Betty", the winner of the race would bring the bottle back to the bridegroom and his party. This challenge was usually given when the bridegroom party was about a mile from the destination-home where the ceremony was to be had. Pennsylvania of 1876, a short section describes wedding ceremonies and marriage customs, including a wedding tradition where two young men from the bridegroom procession were challenged to run for a bottle of whiskey. In Caldwells's Illustrated Combination Centennial Atlas of Washington Co. One of those phrases is "He's kiss'd black Betty." Other sources give the meaning of "Black Betty" in the United States (from at least 1827) as a liquor bottle. In January 1736, Benjamin Franklin published The Drinker's Dictionary in the Pennsylvania Gazette offering 228 round-about phrases for being drunk. Historically, the "Black Betty" of the title may refer to the nickname given to a number of objects: a bottle of whiskey, a whip, or a penitentiary transfer wagon.ĭavid Hackett Fischer, in his book Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America ( Oxford University Press, 1989), states that "Black Betty" was a common term for a bottle of whisky in the borderlands between northern England and southern Scotland it later became a euphemism in the backcountry areas of the eastern United States. ![]() The origin and meaning of the lyrics are subject to debate. Subsequent recordings, including hits by Tom Jones and Spiderbait, retain the structure of this version. The song was eventually, with modified lyrics, remade as a rock song by the American band Ram Jam in 1977. There are numerous recorded versions, including a cappella and folk. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material. " 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 not by him. ![]() JSTOR ( July 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
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