Post-1939
While Lead Belly's 1939 recording was also performed a cappella, most subsequent versions added a guitar accompaniment. These include folk-style recordings in 1964 by Odetta (as a medley with "Looky Yonder"), Dave "Snaker" Ray, and Alan Lomax himself.
In 1972 the British Progressive Rock group Manfred Mann's Earth Band performed the song live for John Peel's In Concert on the BBC, but this has not been publicly released. In 1976 a Cincinnati band, Starstruck, recorded a rock version of the song with modified lyrics on the Truckstar label which had little success.
In 1977, the rock band Ram Jam — which included former Starstruck and Lemon Pipers guitarist Bill Bartlett — rereleased an edit of the Starstruck recording of the song with producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz under Epic Records. The song became an instant hit with listeners, as it reached number 18 on the singles charts in the United States and the top ten in the UK and Australia. At the same time, the lyrics became the cause of a boycott by civil rights groups NAACP and Congress of Racial Equality.
In 1990 dance remixes of Ram Jam's version made the top twenty of the US dance and UK charts and top thirty in Australia. Other notable artists such as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1986) and Tom Jones (2002) have covered the song.
In 1992 remixer Hank Shocklee of The Bomb Squad used a riff from the Ram Jam single as a sample for a remix of Live's "Pain Lies on the Riverside". It was not until 1997 that the remix became commercially available.
In 2004, Spiderbait's re-working of Ram Jam's rock arrangement was a hit in Australia. The song, from their Tonight Alright album, was also used in the movie Without A Paddle and Electronic Arts's 2004 game Need for Speed: Underground 2.
In 2006 the University of New Hampshire administration controversially banned the playing of Ram Jam's "Black Betty" at UNH Hockey games. UNH Athletic Director Marty Scarano explained the reason for the decision: "UNH is not going to stand for something that insults any segment of society". In 2006 the students of University of New Hampshire started the "Save Black Betty" campaign. Students protested at the hockey games by singing Ram Jam's "Black Betty", wearing t-shirts that were blue with white writing on the front "Save Black Betty" and white writing on the back "Bam-A-Lam", and holding up campaign posters at the game.
In 2008 a franchise of bars first opened in New Jersey named "Black Bettys Saloon". One of the aspects of the franchise is the playing of various versions of the "Black Betty" song, which the barmaids dance to.
On May 15, 2011 a new version called "Black Betty (she gets me high)" by Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Travis Barker, Mick Mars and Sebastian Bach was world premiered on "Anything Anything with Rich Russo" on WRXP-FM in New York City. The song is slated for fall 2011 release. Additionally, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and The Melvins released a version on a split 7" single in 2011.
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