Most people recognize the riff immediately. That stomping, fuzzy, heavy-as-lead guitar intro. Then the voice kicks in. "Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam." It’s a staple of classic rock radio, movie trailers, and sports arenas. But if you ask the average fan who was actually fronting the band, you'll usually get a blank stare. Honestly, the story of the Ram Jam lead singer is a lot more complicated than a one-hit wonder footnote.
The man most associated with that microphone is Myke Scavone. But here is the kicker: he didn't even sing on their biggest hit.
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Wait, what?
Yeah. It's one of those weird rock and roll anomalies. The version of "Black Betty" that we all know and love was actually recorded by guitarist Bill Bartlett with his previous band, Starstruck. When producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz decided to build a "real" band around that recording in 1977, they brought in Scavone to be the face and the voice for everything that came after.
The Man Behind the Mic: Who is Myke Scavone?
Myke Scavone wasn't just some guy they found on the street. He was a veteran of the New York and New Jersey garage rock scenes. Before Ram Jam was ever a thing, he was the frontman for The Doughboys, a mid-60s group that shared stages with the likes of The Beach Boys and the Four Seasons.
When you hear people talk about the Ram Jam lead singer, they are usually referring to the guy with the wild energy and the harmonica skills that defined the band's live presence. Scavone brought a gritty, blues-soaked intensity to the group that helped them pivot from the "bubblegum" reputation of their producers toward a much heavier sound.
The Portrait of a Heavy Metal Pioneer
If you want to hear what Scavone could really do, you have to look past the first album. Their sophomore effort, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram (1978), is a totally different beast.
- The Shift in Sound: While the first record was a bit of a mish-mash, the second album is often cited by metal historians as a precursor to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
- Vocal Prowess: Scavone’s performance on tracks like "The Kid Next Door" and "Runway Runaway" is blistering. He possessed a high-register scream and a rhythmic delivery that put him in the same league as guys like Steven Tyler or Bon Scott.
- The Guitar Chemistry: By this point, Bill Bartlett had left the group. Scavone was working with guitarist Jimmy Santoro, and the two of them pushed the band into a much darker, faster territory.
It's kinda wild to think that the same band responsible for a catchy folk-rock cover was also producing some of the most aggressive hard rock of the late 70s. Critics at the time didn't really know what to do with them. Was it a studio project? A real band? A metal group? The confusion eventually tore them apart.
What Really Happened After the Fame?
Ram Jam didn't last long. They burned out by 1979. For a long time, Myke Scavone sorta stepped away from the massive spotlight. He did session work. He lived his life. But you can't keep a voice like that quiet forever.
In the early 2000s, something cool happened. The Doughboys—his original high school band—reunited. And they weren't just playing oldies; they started releasing new, critically acclaimed garage rock albums. Then, in 2015, Scavone landed one of the coolest gigs in rock history. He joined The Yardbirds.
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Think about that. The band that launched Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page needed a singer and harmonica player, and they called the guy from Ram Jam. He’s been touring with them ever since, still hitting those notes well into his 70s.
Why We Still Talk About Him
The Ram Jam lead singer represents a specific era of rock—the transition from the psychedelic 60s into the heavy, commercialized 70s. There was a lot of controversy, too. The NAACP actually called for a boycott of "Black Betty" back in the day because of the song's origins as a slave work song. Scavone and the band had to navigate a minefield of PR disasters while trying to prove they were more than just a catchy hook.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into Scavone’s work or the history of the band, here is the best way to do it:
- Listen to "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram" in full. Forget "Black Betty" for a second. This is the real Scavone.
- Check out The Doughboys' album "Is It Now?". It shows his range in a more "rootsy" garage setting.
- Watch live clips of The Yardbirds from the last few years. It’s impressive to see a frontman maintain that level of vocal health for over 50 years.
The reality is that Myke Scavone is a survivor. He outlived the "one-hit wonder" tag and proved that his talent wasn't dependent on a single catchy riff. Whether he's playing a tiny club in New Jersey or a massive festival with The Yardbirds, he's still that same kid with a harmonica and a powerhouse voice.
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To truly appreciate the legacy here, go back and listen to the B-sides. You'll find a singer who was much more than just a face for a hit record—he was a genuine architect of the heavy rock sound that would dominate the 80s.