"Common Man" is a song written by

Sammy Johns Sammy Reginald Johns (February 7, 1946 – January 4, 2013) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his million-selling 1975 hit single, "Chevy Van (song), Chevy Van". Career Johns was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Johns ...

and originally recorded by him in 1981 via

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

. Johns's version charted at number 50 on

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

in 1981. It had "Easy to Be with You" on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

, and was produced by James Stroud and Tom Long. It was later recorded by American country music artist

John Conlee John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. It was released in February 1983 as the fourth single from his album '' Busted''. The song was Conlee's third number one on the country chart, and his first number one since '

Backside of Thirty "Backside of Thirty" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist John Conlee. It was released in February 1979 as the third single from the album '' Rose Colored Glasses''. The song was Conlee's third country hit and second nu ...

" in 1979. The single stayed at number one for one week.Whitburn, p. 102

Chart performance

Sammy Johns

John Conlee

Year-end charts

References

1981 singles 1983 singles 1981 songs John Conlee songs Sammy Johns songs Elektra Records singles MCA Records singles Songs written by Sammy Johns Song recordings produced by James Stroud {{1981-country-song-stub