Sammy Johns (Chevy Van) passes

[jazzper]

Singer-songwriter Sammy Johns, a native of Charlotte SC, died in Gastonia SC on Friday at age 66. Johns reached #5 in the spring of 1975 with Chevy Van an intrinsically mid-70s hit which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 two weeks before You're No Good reached #1: subsequently Chevy Van would move down the Top 40 as When Will I Be Loved was moving up. In the book The Automobile and American Life author John Alfred Heitmann writes of Chevy Van: "The song had a rhythm as flowing & free & easy as the man who picks up a young woman when on the road. In an age when no-strings attached love became all too frequent, the lyrics struck a chord with a generation caught up in the freedom brought on by the hippies from a previous decade & a machine [ie. the van] that it fostered." Johns never had another hit himself but his compositions became major C&W hits for John Conlee, Waylon Jennings, & Conway Twitty. According to the Taste of Country website, Johns was plagued throughout his life by drug & alcohol issues & was married & divorced several times. No cause for his death was announced.

[the Scribe]

That was a great song. Sorry to read his life was so difficult. Wonder what it will ever take to make people not want to do drugs and alcohol?

[Deleted]

ah well. can't say I was a fan, but RIP.. how time does fly..

[erik]

The song definitely got stuck in the ears of a lot of listeners during the first half of 1975; and here in SoCal, it seemed to fit in nicely with the vibe of the early Eagles records. Sorry to hear about S.J.'s untimely demise.

[sliderocker]

I think the song reflected those times quite nicely, and I think those of who were around back then lived in better days than the days we live in now. Everyone seemed much nicer at least than the way some seem now. Sad to read about Sammy's passing but at least his big hit became a staple on oldies radio, something to remind you he was here.