Sammy Johns

Sammy Johns (born 7 February 1946) is an American country singer-songwriter, best known for his 1975 hit single, "Chevy Van".

Career

Like a lot of musicians, Johns started young. When he was nine, his father presented him with a guitar. By the time he was a teenager in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, he had established his own band, the Devilles. The group performed in local clubs and cut a few records on the Dixie record label. Shifting to Atlanta, he began to make a name for himself and snagged a recording contract in 1973. General Recording Corporation put out Johns' first solo record, "Early Morning Love," that year.

Although he wrote a number of hit songs for other artists, Johns is best remembered for the one he recorded himself, "Chevy Van". The single climbed to #5 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

After his eponymous debut album on the GRC record label (General Recording Corporation), which included "Chevy Van," the singer inked a deal in 1976 with Warner-Curb, which resulted in Johns working on the soundtrack to The Van, the first film to feature Danny DeVito. The 1982 New World Records single "Falling for You" caught the eye of Elektra, and the company took Johns on board and issued "Love Me off the Road" and "Common Man." When country artist John Conlee covered "Common Man," the single went gold and topped the charts. Conlee made the song his theme, and Johns was on his way writing songs for others.

Among those who have recorded Johns' songs are Waylon Jennings, Sammy Kershaw, and Conway Twitty. In 1985, Jennings serenaded the Statue of Liberty with Johns' "America" on a nationally broadcast event to mark the statue's restoration. The performance helped take the single gold and "America" was nominated for song of the year in country music circles. Johns' "Desperado Love" brought Twitty his final gold record. Kershaw covered the song that started it all for Johns, "Chevy Van," on his "Politics, Religion and Her" album in 1996.

Discography

*"Early Morning Love" - 1973
*"Golden Classics" - 1994
*"Honky Tonk Moon" - 2000

External links

* [http://www.famousinterview.ca/interviews/sammy_johns.htm Interview with Sammy Johns]