Customer Reviews

Golden Classics

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I remember hearing Chevy Van back in the 70's. It was a huge hit back in 75. Sammy Johns is a great song writer, which is very much lacking in todays music scene. The real singer/songwriter days are over. Sammy John's songs tell stories, like Chevy Van, Early Morning Love, and all the rest. It has been said that Chevy Van is THE song of the 70's. I would have to agree. Great album, I mean CD. Get it....

Songwriter/vocalist Sammy Johns, born on February 7, 1946 in Charlotte, North Carolina, formed his first band, The Devilles, when just 17 years of age and, in addition to finding steady work in and around Charlotte, it's possible he also cut some sides for Dixie Records which, if true, were probably shelved at the time because none show up in the label's discography. At age 27 he disbanded the group and moved to Atlanta where he secured a contract with the General Recording Corporation (GRC).

His initial effort there, Early Morning Love, proved to be a rather modest debut, topping out at # 19 on the Adult Contemporary (Easy Listening) charts, # 68 Billboard Pop Hot 100 and # 79 Country on GRC 2021 b/w Holy Mother, Aging Father in late 1974. But early the following year his composition (and salute to making out in the back of a van), Chevy Van, not only surged to # 5 Hot 100 in February/March on GRC 2046, eventually selling in excess of three million copies, but also inspired the 1977 comedy film The Van. Sammy also composed the movie's score and, as a measure of its durability, Chevy Van was used again in the 2004 film Starsky & Hutch.

Unfortunately, Collectables follows their usual pattern of leaving out something of significance by omitting the flipside, Hang My Head And Moan (couldn't - or wouldn't make the effort to include it?), although they do include both sides of the follow-up disc later that spring when Rag Doll (not to be confused with The 4 Seasons hit) managed a # 34 AC and # 52 Hot 100 in early June on GRC 2062 b/w Friends Of Mine. It was around this time that GRC, owned by pornographer and ultimately murderer, Michael Thevis, folded when he was sent to prison.

Following his relocation to Warner-Curb he began working on the score for The Van which included 1975 remixes of Chevy Van (the vehicle in the film was a Dodge), Early Morning Love, Jenny, Rag Doll and Hang My Head And Moan, while Country Lady, You're So Sweet, Peas In A Pod, Bless My Soul and Hey, Mr. Dreamer, each of which had been recorded for a shelved GRC album, were used in both the movie and the resulting soundtrack LP. Peas In A Pod also came out as a single on Warner-Curb 8224 and made it to # 11 AC b/w a re-working of Friends Of Mine. His last two chart entries came in early fall 1981 with Common Man, a # 50 Country that September on Elektra 47189 b/w Easy To Be With You, and September 1988 when a remake of Chevy Van peaked at # 80 Country on MCA 53398 b/w Love Me Off The Road.

So, not a huge array of hits by any means, but it was as a songwriter that he earned his greatest fame, most notably Common Man, which John Conlee not only took to # 1 Country in the spring of 1983, but adopted as his theme song. Then there was America, a song performed at the unveiling of a restored Statue Of Liberty in 1985 by Waylon Jennings (and was also a # 6 Country hit for him in 1984), and Desperado Love, which became Conway Twitty's last # 1 hit. in summer 1986.

A decent offering with more than adequate sound (a couple, most notably Run, Boy, Run, have audible surface noise which indicates they may well have been transferred directly from vinyl), which loses one star only because Collectables wouldn't go that extra mile and include the B-side to what was, after all, his greatest hit.

I heard this song in the late 70's and dreamed of my golden girl. It brings back great memories.

Sammy Johns C.D. of the golden hits shows the style of music that left. What I mean by that is good music. His music you would want to take with you on a date. I give it 5 stars.