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Sammy Johns, ‘Chevy Van’ songwriter, 66
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Scott Brady
Jan 8, 2013, 12:55:52 AM1/8/13
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Writer of ‘Chevy Van’ dies at 66
By Steve Lyttle
Posted: Monday, Jan. 07, 2013
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/01/07/3771015/sammy-johns-writer-of-chevy-van.html
Sammy Johns’ song about a chance encounter with a girl sat on the shelves of a record company for nearly two years before it was released in 1975.
That song, “Chevy Van,” went on to sell 3 million copies and was called “The Song of the Seventies” by Rolling Stone magazine. It reached No. 5 on the charts in the United States and Canada.
Johns, who was born in Charlotte but spent most of his life in Gaston County, died Friday at Gaston Memorial Hospital. He was 66.
“Chevy Van” was Johns’ only hit record. But he wrote gold-record songs for other artists, including “America,” which was one of Waylon Jennings’ hits.
Johns graduated from Belmont High School in 1962 and formed a rock band, the Devilles. That group performed across the region, but Johns’ career took off after he wrote “Chevy Van” in 1973.
At first, the song remained unreleased, something Johns later said “was just part of the business.”
The song finally was released about 18 months later, and Johns became a national music figure.
To many, “Chevy Van” symbolized the free-love era of the early 1970s, with its story of a man on a cross-country journey and his meeting with a young woman.
“That was the era of hippies, with free love and all that,” Johns told WBT radio personality Keith Larson in an interview last May. “I was sort of a hippie – a conservative hippie.” He said the song wasn’t about a specific woman he met – but a compilation of events.
He recorded several other songs, but none ever came close to equaling “Chevy Van.” But he enjoyed success as a writer, penning Jennings’ “America,” along with “Common Man” for John Conlee.
Johns dealt with problems in his life, including publicized battles with alcohol and drugs. He was married and divorced several times.
In a 2000 interview with The Observer, he said the music business “was painful at times, but never boring.”
He remained active in the music business, releasing a CD in the early 2000s and appearing at the Grand Ol’ Opry a few years ago.
By Steve Lyttle
Posted: Monday, Jan. 07, 2013
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/01/07/3771015/sammy-johns-writer-of-chevy-van.html
Sammy Johns’ song about a chance encounter with a girl sat on the shelves of a record company for nearly two years before it was released in 1975.
That song, “Chevy Van,” went on to sell 3 million copies and was called “The Song of the Seventies” by Rolling Stone magazine. It reached No. 5 on the charts in the United States and Canada.
Johns, who was born in Charlotte but spent most of his life in Gaston County, died Friday at Gaston Memorial Hospital. He was 66.
“Chevy Van” was Johns’ only hit record. But he wrote gold-record songs for other artists, including “America,” which was one of Waylon Jennings’ hits.
Johns graduated from Belmont High School in 1962 and formed a rock band, the Devilles. That group performed across the region, but Johns’ career took off after he wrote “Chevy Van” in 1973.
At first, the song remained unreleased, something Johns later said “was just part of the business.”
The song finally was released about 18 months later, and Johns became a national music figure.
To many, “Chevy Van” symbolized the free-love era of the early 1970s, with its story of a man on a cross-country journey and his meeting with a young woman.
“That was the era of hippies, with free love and all that,” Johns told WBT radio personality Keith Larson in an interview last May. “I was sort of a hippie – a conservative hippie.” He said the song wasn’t about a specific woman he met – but a compilation of events.
He recorded several other songs, but none ever came close to equaling “Chevy Van.” But he enjoyed success as a writer, penning Jennings’ “America,” along with “Common Man” for John Conlee.
Johns dealt with problems in his life, including publicized battles with alcohol and drugs. He was married and divorced several times.
In a 2000 interview with The Observer, he said the music business “was painful at times, but never boring.”
He remained active in the music business, releasing a CD in the early 2000s and appearing at the Grand Ol’ Opry a few years ago.
R H Draney
Jan 8, 2013, 1:57:22 AM1/8/13
to
Scott Brady filted:
>
>Writer of =91Chevy Van=92 dies at 66
> =93The Song of the Seventies=94 by Rolling Stone magazine. It reached No. =
it on the chart that week:
#4: "Philadelphia Freedom" by The Elton John Band
#3: "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddie Fender
#2: "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" by BJ
Thomas
#1: "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" by Tony Orlando and Dawn
Only thing I recognize out of the ten songs "bubbling under" the Hot 100 is
"Midnight Blue" by Melissa Manchester, at #105....r
--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.
>
>Writer of =91Chevy Van=92 dies at 66
>By Steve Lyttle
>Posted: Monday, Jan. 07, 2013
>
>Sammy Johns=92 song about a chance encounter with a girl sat on the shelves=
>Posted: Monday, Jan. 07, 2013
>
> of a record company for nearly two years before it was released in 1975.
>
>That song, =93Chevy Van,=94 went on to sell 3 million copies and was called=
>
> =93The Song of the Seventies=94 by Rolling Stone magazine. It reached No. =
>5 on the charts in the United States and Canada.
Hit its peak chart position two weeks after I graduated from high school...above
it on the chart that week:
#4: "Philadelphia Freedom" by The Elton John Band
#3: "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddie Fender
#2: "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" by BJ
Thomas
#1: "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" by Tony Orlando and Dawn
Only thing I recognize out of the ten songs "bubbling under" the Hot 100 is
"Midnight Blue" by Melissa Manchester, at #105....r
--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.
Message has been deleted
MWB
Jan 8, 2013, 8:06:33 PM1/8/13
to
Good luck picking up a girl in a CHEVY VOLT.
GO GLOBAL WARMING
Mark
GO GLOBAL WARMING
Mark
MWB
Jan 8, 2013, 8:11:31 PM1/8/13
to
Loki
Jan 8, 2013, 8:26:03 PM1/8/13
to
On Tue, 8 Jan 2013 16:07:58 -0800 (PST), silas <silasc...@aol.com>
wrote:
>Assuming Rolling Stone has ever acknowledged the existence of "Chevy
>Van", I suspect they called it something a lot less laudatory than
>"The Song of the Seventies."
I would be inclined to agree. Certainly not the best song of the
'70s... When the magazine listed it's top 100 songs of all time
(according to a reader poll) several songs that would be expected
showed up... "Imagine", "Riders On The Storm", "Born To Run", "Free
bird", "Stairway To Heaven", "Hotel California", "Bohemian Rhapsody",
etc. etc.
"Chevy Van" was not to be found.
http://www.vinylsurrender.com/Lists/SRC-RS-TOP500.php
Loki
Moorpark Oasis, named Indie Music Digest's CD of
the year 2010, now available at:
http://daveworldonline.com/id11.html
wrote:
>Assuming Rolling Stone has ever acknowledged the existence of "Chevy
>Van", I suspect they called it something a lot less laudatory than
>"The Song of the Seventies."
I would be inclined to agree. Certainly not the best song of the
'70s... When the magazine listed it's top 100 songs of all time
(according to a reader poll) several songs that would be expected
showed up... "Imagine", "Riders On The Storm", "Born To Run", "Free
bird", "Stairway To Heaven", "Hotel California", "Bohemian Rhapsody",
etc. etc.
"Chevy Van" was not to be found.
http://www.vinylsurrender.com/Lists/SRC-RS-TOP500.php
Loki
Moorpark Oasis, named Indie Music Digest's CD of
the year 2010, now available at:
http://daveworldonline.com/id11.html
Matthew Kruk
Jan 8, 2013, 9:29:36 PM1/8/13
to
"Loki" <cubby...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:ldhpe8t8ntclp5v9l...@4ax.com...
news:ldhpe8t8ntclp5v9l...@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 8 Jan 2013 16:07:58 -0800 (PST), silas <silasc...@aol.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Assuming Rolling Stone has ever acknowledged the existence of "Chevy
>>Van", I suspect they called it something a lot less laudatory than
>>"The Song of the Seventies."
>
> I would be inclined to agree. Certainly not the best song of the
> '70s... When the magazine listed it's top 100 songs of all time
> (according to a reader poll) several songs that would be expected
> showed up... "Imagine", "Riders On The Storm", "Born To Run", "Free
> bird", "Stairway To Heaven", "Hotel California", "Bohemian Rhapsody",
> etc. etc.
>
> "Chevy Van" was not to be found.
Even Ventura Highway is better.
> wrote:
>
>>Assuming Rolling Stone has ever acknowledged the existence of "Chevy
>>Van", I suspect they called it something a lot less laudatory than
>>"The Song of the Seventies."
>
> I would be inclined to agree. Certainly not the best song of the
> '70s... When the magazine listed it's top 100 songs of all time
> (according to a reader poll) several songs that would be expected
> showed up... "Imagine", "Riders On The Storm", "Born To Run", "Free
> bird", "Stairway To Heaven", "Hotel California", "Bohemian Rhapsody",
> etc. etc.
>
> "Chevy Van" was not to be found.
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