The 1970s were a tumultuous time: Nixon resigned, there was oil shortage, disco was huge, America was going through a “malaise,” and the Iran hostage crisis took place.

The time was made more bearable, however, thanks to singer-songwriterslike Jim Croce, James Taylor, and Jodi Mitchell. But aren’t we forgetting someone?

Simple, jovial Sammy Johns. Just look at this guy. Photo credit

The truth is, we are: Sammy Johns. By all accounts a one-hit wonder, he was still a definitive addition to the culture of that decade with his seminal song, “Chevy Van.”

Some paint, nice wheels, a TV set and a bed in the back was all you needed.Photo credit

Johns was a country singer-songwriter who wrote quite a few songs for other artists, but “Chevy Van” remained his one veritable success as an artist. Released in 1975, the song stayed in the charts for 17 weeks and was eventually awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.

Lest we forget, there was a time in America when vans were a huge attraction for people, and this song played its part in the snowballing appreciation and purchasing of vans–not to mention, movies like “The Van” and “Supervan.”

This being the liberated, groovy ’70s, the van fulfilled a unique and desirable niche by being able to be converted into a virtual RV. This was done by removing the back seats and carpet, and installing a bunch of stuff like tables, lamps, microwaves, and, of course, beds.

Vans with the camper top conversion were very desirable. Photo credit

The last of these was the most critical to any converted van, and was the genesis for such pithy bumper stickers as “When the van’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’!” or “Ass, grass, or gas, nobody rides for free.”

During this time, Chevy was selling its third generation Van, which arrived in 1971 and stayed the same, more or less, all the way through to 1996.

To make yours attractive, all you had to do was take some paint and carpeting, a spoiler, TV sets, a disco ball, and a bed, and your G20 or Vandura was now a chick magnet. And if you could get it, a camper top conversion van was the cream of the crop. 

Thanks for reminiscing with us today, and remember: Keep on truckin’.