Mandell was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in
Mount Vernon and
New Rochelle, New York. No. 5 on the
Billboard Hot Country Singles, and No. 1 on
Adult Contemporary chart, and the tune was the theme of the 1972 film
Deliverance. The song was also nominated for the 1972
Golden Globe Awards in the
Best Original Song category. "Dueling Banjos" won the 1974
Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance. Mandell also worked on Broadway, and played in the 1976 musical
The Robber Bridegroom. He also recorded advertising jingles. In 1988, he left New York and moved to Baltimore. He died of prostate cancer on March 14, 2018, at the age of 76. He was an
Owings Mills, Maryland resident at the time of his death. ==References==