Carl Richard Mann (August 22, 1942December 16, 2020) was an American

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

singer and pianist from West Tennessee. He was referred to as "The Last Son of Sun", as he was one of the final artists introduced by

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis ...

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny C ...

Biography

Mann was born in

Huntingdon, Tennessee Huntingdon is a town in Carroll County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,439 at the 2020 census and 3,985 in 2010. It is the county seat of Carroll County. History European-American settlers named Huntingdon for Memucan Hunt, who f ...

, and raised in rural western Tennessee. His parents owned a

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

business. A child musical prodigy, he learned to play the guitar by age eight, sang in church, and by the age of eleven also began to perform

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

songs for local talent shows in nearby

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States census. Jackso ...

. In 1957 at the age of 15, Mann released his first single on Jaxon Records, "Gonna Rock and Roll Tonight" b/w "Rockin' Love". After he released several more singles on Jaxon,

W.S. Holland W. S. "Fluke" Holland (April 22, 1935 – September 23, 2020) was an American drummer who played with Carl Perkins, and later for Johnny Cash in the bands The Tennessee Three, The Great Eighties Eight, and The Johnny Cash Show Band. Holland was ...

became Mann's manager, and took the young singer to

. (Holland was the drummer for singer/songwriter

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998) Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, beginning in 19 ...

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

Sun owner

signed Mann to a three-year contract, and soon after, Sun released Mann's

version of

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

's "

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a Half length portrait, half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described ...

" in 1959. Mann and

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

released single versions of the tune at the same time that year, and both charted; it was sixteen-year-old Mann's first hit, peaking at No. 24 on the US R&B Singles chart and No. 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It ultimately sold a million records. Mann's follow-up singles were less successful; he covered several pop standards, but his only charting hit was 1959's " Pretend", which peaked at No. 57 Pop. An LP, ''Like Mann'', was released in 1960 but did not sell well, and Mann began to drift from the music business. After serving in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in 1964, he released a single, "Down to My Last I Love You", on

Monument Records Monument Records is an American record label in Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958 by Fred Foster, Buddy Deane (a prominent Baltimore disc jockey at WTTG), and business manager Jack Kirby. Buddy Deane soon left ...

. But it failed and he returned to family life and the lumber business, where he battled with problems of

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

. In 1974, Mann worked to revive his career as a country artist, releasing singles on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and Dot. His 1976 single " Twilight Time" scraped the US Country Singles chart, peaking at No. 100. In 1977, he landed a deal with

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

record label Rockhouse Records, which released a live/studio split ''Gonna Rock'n'Roll Tonight'' in 1978 and ''In Rockabilly Country'' in 1981. Mann toured occasionally in Europe in the 1980s, but eventually returned to Tennessee and running the family logging outfit. In 2005, Mann came out of music retirement, performing on the local ''Huntingdon Hayride'' radio show in his hometown. He continued to perform overseas and in the states, and record. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in

, in 2006. A CD called ''Rockabilly Highway'', featuring Mann, and Sun Records label mates W. S. Holland and Rayburn Anthony, was released in 2008. Mann put out an album ''Carl Mann'' in 2012. Two other albums were released including his music. Mann continued to perform, including at Sun Record showcases in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

, such as "Viva Las Vegas" at the Orleans Hotel, and at

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

's "Ink and Iron", and other venues. When dates allowed, his sons, Richard and Joe Mann, joined him to carry on the family musical tradition. Mann died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

at a hospital in

, on December 16, 2020. He was 78 years old.

Album discography

*''Like Mann'' (1960/08/17 Phillips International PLP 1960 S *''Gonna Rock 'N' Roll Tonight'' (1978 Rockhouse RHLP-7806 L *''In Rockabilly Country'' (1981 Rockhouse RHLP-8102 L *''Legacy -Strait & Narrow Road'' (2005/2 Round Midnight RAM 9001) *''Endlessly (Legendary Country Influences)'' (2006/8 Round Midnight RAM 9002) *''A Rockabilly Christmas'' (2007/11 Catalogue #171107) *''Rayburn Anthony, W.S. Holland & Carl Mann - Rockabilly Highway - After 50 Plus Years, Still Rockin’'' (2009/1/1) *''Carl Mann'' (2012/5/1 Jaxon Records JRCD 20102 imited CD-R release *''Carl Mann & Rayburn Anthony - Cruisin Around'' (2013 JL Records Sweden) *''Rockabilly Renaissance'' (2016 Jaxon Records JRCD 82119)

Singles

*"Gonna Rock & Roll Tonight"/"Rockin' Love" (1957) *"

"/"Foolish One" (1959) *" Pretend"/"Rockin' Love" (1959) *"

Some Enchanted Evening "Some Enchanted Evening" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''South Pacific''. It has been described as "the single biggest popular hit to come out of any Rodgers and Hammerstein show." Mast, Gerald''Can't Help Singin': ...

"/"I Can't Forget" (1959) *"Baby I Don't Care"/"Vanished" (1960) *" South of the Border/"I'm Comin' Home" (1960) *"

The Wayward Wind "The Wayward Wind" is a country song written by Stanley Lebowsky (music) and Herb Newman (lyrics). Members of the Western Writers of America chose the song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Background The “Wayward Wind” of the ...

"/"Born To Be Bad" (1960) *"If I Could Change You"/"I Ain't Got No Home" (1961) *"

When I Grow Too Old To Dream "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" is a popular song with music by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, published in 1934. The song was introduced by Evelyn Laye and Ramon Novarro in the film '' The Night Is Young'' (1935). It ha ...

"/"

Mountain Dew Mountain Dew, stylized as Mtn Dew, is a carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in 1940 by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman. A revised formula was created by Bill Brid ...

" (1962) *"The Serenade Of The Bells"/"Down To My Last I Forgive You" (1966) *"Burnin' Holes In The Eyes Of Abraham Lincoln"/"The Ballad Of Johnny Clyde" (1974) *"Just About Out"/"Neon Lights" (1975) *"Cheatin' Time"/"It's Not The Coffee" (1975) *"Annie-Over-Time"/"Back Loving" (1975) *" Twilight Time"/"Belly-Rubbin' Country Soul" (1976)

References

External links

Carl Mann Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (July 14, 2013)
Carl Mann biography
BlackCat Rockabilly, Netherlands * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Carl 1942 births 2020 deaths American rockabilly musicians Singers from Tennessee Phillips International Records artists American male singers People from Huntingdon, Tennessee Country musicians from Tennessee Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee

Biography

Album discography

Singles

References

Other reading

External links