Carl Mann was a singer, artist, and cultural icon who is from Carroll County, Tennessee. Carl Mann was born on August 22, 1942 in Huntingdon, Tennessee. As a child, Carl Mann sang in the church and also participated in local talent shows where he sang country songs in those talent shows. Carl Mann played the guitar and the piano. In 1957, Carl Mann released his first single entitled “Gonna Rock and Roll Tonight” on the Jaxon Records label.
Bill Holland, who was Carl Mann’s drummer, later became Carl Mann’s manager. Under Bill Holland’s management, Carl Mann was signed to Sun Records. Soon after, Mann released a rockabilly version of Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa”. Carl Mann was sixteen at the time and the song charted and peaked at #24 on the US Black Singles chart and #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959.
Carl Mann also had another single released in 1959. It was “Pretend” and it peaked at #57. Carl Mann released an LP in 1960. He served in the Army in 1964. Afterwards, he released a single, “Down To My Last I Love You” on Monument records.
In 1974, Mann returned as a country artist and his 1976 song “Twilight Time” peaked at #100 on the US Country Singles chart. In 1978, he released a live/studio split called “Gonna Rock’n’Roll Tonight”. In 1981, he released “In Rockabilly Country”.
In the 1980’s, Carl Mann toured Europe.
Carl Mann died on December 16, 2020 and was interred at Palmer Shelter Cemetery.
On June 18,2025 Mr. Lex Suite, Principal at Riverside High School, gave a presentation on Carl Mann to the Huntingdon TN Historical Society. You can see a video of this presentation at:
https://www.facebook.com/61550545093433/videos/587952224352810
The History of Carroll County, Tennessee 