{"id":3658,"date":"2020-05-22T21:55:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-22T21:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dealerfireblog.com\/buyevscars\/?p=3658"},"modified":"2020-05-22T21:55:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T21:55:00","slug":"what-happened-to-the-guy-who-wrote-chevy-van-sammy-johns-life-and-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.buyevscars.com\/blog\/what-happened-to-the-guy-who-wrote-chevy-van-sammy-johns-life-and-death\/","title":{"rendered":"What happened to the guy who wrote, “Chevy Van?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Those who grew up during the 1970s likely remember the hit\nsong \u201cChevy Van.\u201d Though the tune sat unused on the shelves of a record company\nfor nearly two years before being released in 1975, it was an impressive\nsuccess, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The song remained on the chart for 17 weeks and was\neventually deemed \u201cThe Song of the Seventies\u201d by Rolling Stone. It was even\ncredited with an increase in van sales the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But less well-known than the song itself is the artist. Who\nwrote \u201cChevy Van,\u201d and whatever happened to him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
Take another shot at that carefree \u201870s lifestyle with a look at our new inventory of Chevy vans!<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Life and Death of Sammy Johns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sammy Johns, the artist who wrote and recorded \u201cChevy Van,\u201d\ndid not have any further hit records. He did, however, write songs that went\ngold for other artists, including \u201cAmerica,\u201d by Waylon Jennings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The song \u201cChevy Van\u201d is known for celebrating the\nfree-wheeling lifestyle of the seventies, but that lifestyle may have led to\nproblems for Johns as the years went by; Johns had publicized battles with\nalcohol and drugs, and was married and divorced several times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview in the year 2000, Johns was asked to assess\nhis life in the music business. He responded that it, \u201cwas painful at times,\nbut never boring.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, you could go the speedy route in the fastest 2020 Chevy Camaro.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did Sammy Johns release any music after \u201cChevy Van?\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sammy Johns continued to record and release music after\n\u201cChevy Van,\u201d but none reached anywhere near the same level of success as that\nhit. As noted above, he did have success writing songs for other artists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johns\u2019 final album was released as a new CD in the early\n2000s. He also made an appearance at the Grand Ol\u2019 Opry around the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These days, they say that Ford makes the perfect family van.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Sammy Johns still alive?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No. Sammy Johns died on January 4th<\/sup>, 2013 at\nGaston Memorial Hospital in Gastonia, North Carolina. He was 66 years old. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those who grew up during the 1970s likely remember the hit song \u201cChevy Van.\u201d Though the tune sat unused on the shelves of a record company for nearly two years before being released in 1975, it was an impressive success, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song remained on the chart […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n