b. 7 February 1946, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Johns was best known for his one hit single, the 1975 hit ‘Chevy Van’. Between 1963 and 1973, he performed with a band called the Devilles in his home town, recording a number of singles for the Dixie label, none of which were hits outside of the immediate area. In 1973 he signed as a solo artist with the General Recording Corporation’s GRC label and recorded a number of tracks with well-known studio musicians such as Jim Gordon, James Burton and Larry Knechtel. The first single from this collaboration resulted in a minor chart placing in ‘Early Morning Love’ in 1974. ‘Chevy Van’ followed in 1975, reaching number 5 in the US. Johns had one more chart single, ‘Rag Doll’, also in 1975, but further recordings for GRC and Warner Brothers Records did not fare as well and he disappeared from the music scene.
