View source for Ram Jam

{{Short description|American rock band}}
{{for|the English soul group|Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2009}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Ram Jam
| image             =
| caption           = Bill Bartlett (1977)
| origin            = New York City, U.S.
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Rock music|Rock]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Talevski|first=Nick|date=2006|title=Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC&q=ram+jam&pg=PA5|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|page=5|isbn=978-1846090912}}</ref>|[[boogie rock]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ram-jam-mn0000392553/biography|title=Ram Jam &#124; Biography & History|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=2019-11-20|first=Andrew|last=Hamilton}}</ref>}}
| years_active      = 1977–1978
| label             = [[Epic Records|Epic]], Rock Candy
| website           =
| current_members   =
| past_members      = * Bill Bartlett
* Howard Arthur Blauvelt
* Pete Charles
* Jimmy Santoro
* [[Myke Scavone]]
}}
'''Ram Jam''' was an American [[Rock music|rock]] band formed in New York City and active in 1977 and 1978, mainly known for their hit single "[[Black Betty#Ram Jam version|Black Betty]]".
==Overview==
The band consisted of Bill Bartlett (guitar and lead vocals), Howie Arthur Blauvelt (bass), Pete Charles (drums), and [[Myke Scavone]] (lead vocals).<ref name="LarkinHM">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Heavy Metal]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1995|edition=Second|isbn=0-85112-656-1|page=290}}</ref> Jimmy Santoro, who toured with the band in support of their debut album, joined on guitar for the follow-up album. Bartlett was formerly lead guitarist for [[bubblegum pop|bubblegum]] group [[the Lemon Pipers]], while Blauvelt played with [[Billy Joel]] in several bands: the Echoes (also renamed the Lost Souls and then the Commandos), [[the Hassles]] and El Primo.<ref name="LarkinHM"/> The band was originally known as 'Creekside Killshack'.
==History==
===Early days===
Bill Bartlett went on from the [[Lemon Pipers]] to form a group called Starstruck. Starstruck originally included Steve Walmsley (bass) and Bob Nave (organ) from the Lemon Pipers. Walmsley left the band and was replaced by David Goldflies (who later played for years with [[Dickey Betts]] and Great Southern, and [[the Allman Brothers]]). While in Starstruck, Bartlett took [[Lead Belly]]'s 59 second long "[[Black Betty]]" and arranged, recorded and released it on the group's own TruckStar label.<ref name="LarkinHM"/> "Black Betty" became a regional hit, then was picked up by producers in New York who formed a group around Bartlett called Ram Jam. They re-released the song, and it became a hit nationally. The Ram Jam "recording" was actually the same one originally recorded by Starstruck (albeit significantly edited to rearrange the song structure), the band at that time comprised Bartlett (lead guitar and vocals), Tom Kurtz (rhythm guitar and vocals), David Goldflies (bass), and David Fleeman (drums). The rest of the tracks on the first studio album containing "Black Betty" were played by the Ram Jam lineup. Even though the song was credited to [[Huddie Ledbetter]], the [[NAACP]] and [[Congress of Racial Equality]] called for a boycott due to the lyrics.<ref name="LarkinHM"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/unhs-black-bettybam-ba-lams-its-last|title=UNH's 'Black Betty'bam-ba-lams its last|access-date=29 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141130091233/http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/unhs-black-bettybam-ba-lams-its-last|archive-date=30 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Big Bang, Baby: Rock Trivia|publisher=Dundurn|author=Crouse, Richard|year=2000|pages=187}}</ref>
The boycott failed, however, and "Black Betty" reached number 18 on the singles [[record chart|chart]] in 1977 in the [[United States|U.S.]], top ten in the [[UK Singles Chart]] and [[Australia]], and number 46 in Canada, while the ''[[Ram Jam (album)|Ram Jam]]'' album reached the U.S. top 40. It was also a hit in the [[Netherlands]], reaching number 4. In Canada, the album reached number 33.<ref name="CAN">{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5439a.pdf|title=RPM Top 100 Albums - November 19, 1977}}</ref>
===Later===
Their subsequent album ''Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram'' achieved little success, despite the addition of [[Long Island]], New York, lead guitarist Jimmy Santoro.{{Citation needed|date=October 2012}} The ''Portrait'' album was re-issued on Rock Candy Records from England in 2006. It is listed in the Top 100 lists in [[Martin Popoff]]’s book ''The Collector’s Guide to Heavy Metal Volume 1: The Seventies''.
===Post-hits===
In the 1990s, both studio releases by Ram Jam were packaged together as a German import record entitled ''[[The Very Best of Ram Jam]]''.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|title=Rasputin Music & DVDs-Music: Ram Jam (Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram)|work=Rasputin Music (online catalogue)|url=http://www.thestore24.com/Music/Album.aspx?prodid=RCDY12.2&PersonID=P%20%20%20%2020054&p_id=P++++20054&st=Music|access-date=2019-12-17}}{{dead link|date=December 2019}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Rasputin Music & DVDs-Music: Ram Jam (The Very Best of Ram Jam)|work=(online catalogue)|url=http://www.thestore24.com/Music/album.aspx?prodid=EPCE467506.2|access-date=2009-02-27}}</ref> However, the cover of the album features the same artwork as their self-titled debut, and ''The Very Best of Ram Jam'' album starts with the ten titles from ''Ram Jam''. This is followed by all ten titles from ''Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram''. The titles from ''Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram'' are slightly re-ordered. The first two songs ("Gone Wild", "Pretty Poison") are moved to the end on ''The Very Best of Ram Jam''.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/>
In 1991, producers Kasenetz and Katz released a [[hip-house]] single called "We Rock the Mansion" as Ram Jam, which failed to chart. In 1994, they released an album called ''Ram Jam'' in France with a group of session musicians fronted by vocalist Don Chaffin, which failed to chart as well. Two singles were released from the album, "Ram Jam, Thank You Mam" (under which title the album was reissued in Germany in 1995) and "Black Betty '95", a cover of the 1990 "Rough 'n Ready" remix of the original Ram Jam song, both of which didn't chart. A 12" single of "Ram Jam, Thank You Mam" was also released in 1994, featuring a 7-minute rearrangement of the song.
A [[remix]] of "Black Betty" by [[Ben Liebrand]] reached number 13 in the [[UK Singles Chart]] in 1990.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book|first=David|last=Roberts|year=2006|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|location=London|isbn=1-904994-10-5|page=449}}</ref> Cover versions of the song also appear on the 2002 album ''[[Mr. Jones (Tom Jones album)|Mr. Jones]]'' by [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] and on the 2004 album ''[[Tonight Alright]]'' by Australian rock band [[Spiderbait]].
Bill Bartlett still plays guitar, but in the early 1990s transformed himself into a [[boogie-woogie]] [[piano]] player.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} He also plays [[banjo]], [[harmonica]], and has written dozens of songs. Santoro still plays professionally in various bands in New York, and teaches music at an elementary school on Long Island. Scavone, who now resides in New Jersey, after many years detached from the music industry, recorded an album of 12 songs, both originals and [[cover version]]s with his former teenage garage rock band called [[The Doughboys (New Jersey band)|the Doughboys]]. It was featured at the 40th Reunion of [[John Zacherle]]'s Disc-O-Teen in 2004, which coincided with Zacherle's 84th birthday. The album, entitled ''Is It Now'', included liner notes by John Hawkins, the original keyboard and piano player for [[the Nashville Teens]].
Howie Blauvelt died in 1993 at age 44, and Pete Charles (full name Peter Charles Picardio) died in 2002 at age 49 from unknown causes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/deadrock.html|title=The Dead Rock Stars Club|website=Thedeadrockstarsclub.com|access-date=2019-11-20}}</ref> Scavone continues to write and record original music with the Doughboys. In 2015, Scavone was recruited to play harmonica, percussion and backing vocals with his longtime heroes, [[the Yardbirds]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Yardbirds.US: Home|url=http://yardbirds.us/|website=Yardbirds.us|access-date=2017-09-20}}</ref>
==Band members==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''Final lineup'''
* [[Myke Scavone]] – lead vocals, percussion {{small|(1977–1978)}}
* Bill Bartlett – guitar, lead vocals {{small|(1977–1978)}}
* Jimmy Santoro – guitar {{small|(1977–1978)}}
* Howard Arthur Blauvelt – bass, backing vocals {{small|(1977–1978; died 1993)}}
* Pete Charles – drums {{small|(1977–1978; died 2002)}}
{{col-2}}
'''Touring musicians'''
* Glenn Dove – drums {{small|(1978–1979)}}
* David E. Eicher – keyboards {{small|(1978–1979)}}
* Dennis Feldman – bass {{small|(1978–1979)}}
* Greg Hoffman – guitar {{small|(1978–1979)}}
* Sherwin Ace Ross – vocals {{small|(1978–1979)}}
{{col-end}}
===Timeline===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize  = width:700 height:auto barincrement:22
PlotArea   = left:120 bottom:70 top:10 right:10
Alignbars  = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period     = from:1977 till:10/31/1978
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend     = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1977
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1977
Colors =
id:lvocals value:red        legend:Lead_vocals
id:guitar  value:green      legend:Guitar
id:bass    value:blue       legend:Bass,_backing_vocals
id:drums   value:orange     legend:Drums
id:perc    value:claret     legend:Percussion
id:bars    value:gray(0.95)
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
BarData =
bar:Scavone  text:Myke Scavone
bar:Bartlett text:Bill Bartlett
bar:Santoro  text:Jimmy Santoro
bar:Blauvelt text:Howard Arthur Blauvelt
bar:Charles  text:Pete Charles
PlotData =
width:11
color:lvocals
bar:Scavone  from:start      till:end
color:guitar
bar:Bartlett from:start      till:end
bar:Santoro  from:06/01/1977 till:end
color:bass
bar:Blauvelt from:start      till:end
color:drums
bar:Charles  from:start      till:end
width:3
bar:Bartlett from:start      till:end      color:lvocals
bar:Scavone  from:start      till:end      color:perc
}}
==Discography==
===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Album
! colspan="3"| Chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Label
|-
! width="40"|<small>[[Billboard 200|US 200]]</small><br><ref name="Awards">{{cite web|title=Ram Jam - Awards|url=http://www.allmusic.com:80/artist/ram-jam-mn0000392553/awards|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=18 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508015203/http://www.allmusic.com:80/artist/ram-jam-mn0000392553/awards|archive-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref>
! width="40"|<small>[[Kent Music Report|AUS]]</small><br><ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=246}}</ref>
! width="40"|<small>[[RPM (magazine)|CAN]]</small><br><ref name="CAN"/>
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1977
| align="left"| ''[[Ram Jam (album)|Ram Jam]]''
| 34
| 16
| 33
| rowspan="2"|[[Epic Records|Epic]]
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1978
| align="left"| ''[[Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram]]''
| —
| —
| —
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
|}
===Compilation albums===
* ''[[The Very Best of Ram Jam]]'' (1990)
===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]]
|-
! style="width:40px;"| <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US Pop]]</small><br><ref name="Awards"/>
! style="width:40px;"| <small>[[Kent Music Report|AUS]]</small><br><ref name=aus/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Ram+Jam|title=Discography Ram Jam|website=australian-charts.com|access-date=September 9, 2022}}</ref>
! style="width:40px;"| <small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]</small><br><ref name="UK">{{cite web|title=Ram Jam {{!}} full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16436/ram-jam/|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=18 June 2022}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1977
| "[[Black Betty#Ram Jam version|Black Betty]]"
| align=center | 18
| align=center | 3
| align=center | 7
|
* [[British Phonographic Industry|BPI]]: Platinum<ref>{{cite web|title=Ram Jam - Black Betty|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/924-560-1|website=bpi.co.uk|access-date=9 September 2022}}</ref>
|-
| "Keep Your Hands on the Wheel"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1978
| "Pretty Poison"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| "Hurricane Ride"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| 1990
| "Black Betty" <small>([[Ben Liebrand]] remix)</small>
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 17
| align=center | 13
|
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
|}
==See also==
*[[List of one-hit wonders in the United States#1970s|List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{Allmusic |class=artist |id=p20054}}
* {{Discogs artist|Ram Jam}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Epic Records artists]]
[[Category:Hard rock musical groups from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1977]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1978]]
[[Category:1977 establishments in New York City]]