Ram Jam
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Defunct | 1978 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Key people | Bill Bartlett, Howie Arthur Blauvelt, Pete Charles, Myke Scavone, Jimmy Santoro |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Ram Jam was a New York City-based rock group active during 1977–1978, primarily recognized for their rock rendition of the traditional work song "Black Betty".
Overview
The band consisted of Bill Bartlett on guitar and lead vocals, Howie Arthur Blauvelt handling bass, Pete Charles on drums, and Myke Scavone as lead vocalist.[1] Guitarist Jimmy Santoro joined the lineup for their subsequent album. Prior to Ram Jam, Bartlett fronted the bubblegum band the Lemon Pipers, while Blauvelt had performed with Billy Joel in ensembles such as the Echoes and the Hassles.[1] Initially, the group was known as 'Creekside Killshack'.
Early days
Following his tenure with the Lemon Pipers, Bartlett formed Starstruck alongside bassist Steve Walmsley and organist Bob Nave. Walmsley was later replaced by David Goldflies, who went on to work with Dickey Betts and the Allman Brothers. Bartlett produced and released Lead Belly’s brief 59-second track "Black Betty" through Starstruck’s TruckStar label.[1] This recording achieved regional popularity before New York producers assembled Ram Jam around Bartlett to distribute it nationally. The "Ram Jam" release was essentially the original Starstruck recording, restructured; at that stage, the ensemble included Bartlett, Tom Kurtz (rhythm guitar, vocals), Goldflies, and David Fleeman (drums). Other songs on Ram Jam’s debut album featured the official Ram Jam members. Although credited to Huddie Ledbetter, the song prompted calls for a boycott by the NAACP and Congress of Racial Equality due to its lyrics.[1][2][3]
Despite opposition, "Black Betty" climbed to number 18 on U.S. charts in 1977, reached the top ten in both the UK and Australia, and peaked at number 46 in Canada. The Ram Jam album entered the U.S. top 40 and achieved number 4 in the Netherlands; it also attained number 33 in Canada.[4]
Later
Their second album, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram, experienced modest success even after adding guitarist Jimmy Santoro from Long Island. Rock Candy Records reissued this album in 2006. It is also listed in Martin Popoff's The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal Volume 1: The Seventies among the Top 100.
Post-hits
During the 1990s, Ram Jam’s two studio albums were combined into a German release titled The Very Best of Ram Jam, which used the debut album’s cover art and featured a track sequence merging both albums, with "Gone Wild" and "Pretty Poison" repositioned at the end.
In 1991, producers Kasenetz and Katz issued a hip-house single called "We Rock the Mansion" under the Ram Jam name; however, it did not chart. A French album named Ram Jam followed in 1994 featuring session musicians and vocalist Don Chaffin but also failed commercially. Singles including "Ram Jam, Thank You Mam" (along with a 12" remix) and "Black Betty '95," a remix of their original hit, were released without chart success.
A 1990 remix of "Black Betty" by Ben Liebrand reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. Subsequently, Tom Jones covered the song in 2002, followed by Australian rock group Spiderbait in 2004.
In the early 1990s, Bill Bartlett shifted his focus to boogie-woogie piano while also playing banjo and harmonica and composing numerous songs. Jimmy Santoro remains active as a professional musician and music educator on Long Island. After a lengthy hiatus from performing, Myke Scavone recorded an album with his teenage band the Doughboys; this was highlighted during John Zacherle's Disc-O-Teen 40th Reunion in 2004. Their album Is It Now contains liner notes by John Hawkins of the Nashville Teens.
Bassist Howie Blauvelt passed away in 1993 at age 44; drummer Pete Charles died in 2002 at age 49. Scavone continues his musical career and joined the Yardbirds in 2015 as harmonica player, percussionist, and backing vocalist.
Band members
Last roster
- Myke Scavone – lead vocals, percussion
- Bill Bartlett – guitar, lead vocals
- Jimmy Santoro – guitar
- Howard Arthur Blauvelt – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Pete Charles – drums, percussion
Additional touring personnel
- Glenn Dove – drums
- David E. Eicher – keyboards
- Dennis Feldman – bass guitar
- Greg Hoffman – guitar
- Sherwin Ace Ross – vocals
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart rankings | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 | AUS | CAN | |||
| 1977 | Ram Jam | 34 | 16 | 33 | Epic |
| 1978 | Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram | — | — | — | Epic |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts. | |||||
Compilation albums
- The Very Best of Ram Jam (1990)
Singles
| Year | Title | Highest chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop | AUS | UK | |||
| 1977 | "Black Betty" | 18 | 3 | 7 |
|
| "Keep Your Hands on the Wheel" | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "Pretty Poison" | — | — | — | |
| "Hurricane Ride" | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Black Betty" (Ben Liebrand remix) | — | 17 | 13 | |
| "—" indicates singles that did not chart. | |||||