Sammy Johns

Sammy Reginald Johns, born on February 7, 1946, in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an American singer-songwriter known for his contributions to country music. At nine, Johns received a guitar from his father and formed his first band, the Devilles, during his teenage years. In 1973, Johns moved to Atlanta and signed with General Recording, releasing his first solo single "Early Morning Love" (1974). His breakthrough came in 1975 with "Chevy Van", which reached number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained there for 17 weeks. The song was certified gold by the RIAA on May 5, 1975, and sold three million copies. This success led to a contract with Warner Curb Records to produce a soundtrack for the 1977 film The Van. Johns later switched to Elektra Records, releasing singles such as "Common Man" and "Love Me off the Road". In his later career, he was primarily known as a composer, with many covered versions of his songs becoming successful. John Conlee's cover version of "Common Man" reached Number 1 on the charts. Johns died on January 4, 2013, at Gaston Memorial Hospital in Gastonia, North Carolina, at the age of 66.