Carl Mann, Rockabilly Star, Dies at 78
According to the
Memphis Commercial Appeal, Mann passed away at the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tenn. The cause of death was not published.
Born Aug. 22, 1942 in Huntingdon, Tenn., Mann grew up singing country and gospel, and performing in talent shows as a boy. But the rise of Elvis Presley pointed a new direction for him, and it led to his first record, Gonna Rock and Roll Tonight, which he cut for Jaxson in 1957. A year later, through Carl Perkins drummer, W.S. Fluke Holland, he secured an audition for Memphis Sun Records, the home of Presley, Perkins and Johnny Cash.