While the blues has come a long way from its humble roots, early blues hollers and traditional songs often appear, albeit in altered forms, in pop and rock music. Moby's 1999 dance album Play sampled a number of Alan Lomax field recordings, while this prison song appeared in the pop charts in 1977 in a version by US rock band Ram Jam. The song is sometimes attributed to Leadbelly, who recorded it in 1935; others who have covered the track include Tom Jones, U2 and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

The song follows the traditional call and response pattern of the slaves' field songs, which helped to lift their spirits and to keep their rhythm steady as they worked. The lyrics may be poking fun at the prison guards (Black Betty's blue-eyed baby 'must have been the captain's'), or could be referring either to the whip used on the prisoners or the truck used to transport them between farms, both of which were sometimes called 'Black Betty'.

Links

http://www.musicfirebox.com/risingsun.html
An essay tracing another Lomax recording from its rural roots to the rock scene.

http://www.thebluehighway.com/
Useful blues resource, with essays, radio, links, photos and blues chat.

http://www.rootsandrhythm.com/
International US-based mail order record catalogue, specializing in roots music.

http://www.jazznblues.co.uk/
UK-based jazz and blues record specialists.