- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- As one of the last artists signed by Sun Records’ Sam Phillips, Carl Mann is best known for a rockabilly version of the Nat ‘King’ Cole hit “Mona Lisa”.
The Sun Story, Volume 6: Carl Mann (1977): The first five volumes in this series covered genuine legends: Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis. I am not sure that I had even vaguely heard of Carl Mann when I bought this album, but I knew that there had to be some great music here if he is included in that company. As one of the last recording artists signed by Sun Records’ Sam Phillips, piano player and vocalist Carl Mann is best known for a rockabilly version of the Nat ‘King’ Cole hit “Mona Lisa”. As luck would have it, Conway Twitty cut his own version of “Mona Lisa”; and the two battled it out on the charts, with Carl Mann eventually selling a million copies of his record. Unfortunately, Carl Mann was never able to match that hit again.
Besides “Mona Lisa”, The Sun Story, Volume 6: Carl Mann includes rocked-up versions of standards like “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes”, “South of the Border”, and “Mexicali Rose”; fine renditions of early rock classics like “Blueberry Hill”, “Ubangi Stomp”, and “Kansas City”; and two of his own compositions, “Crazy Fool” and “Rockin’ Love”. I have since found a copy of The Sun Story, Volume 4: Roy Orbison.