He was born in 1910 in Boston where his father, Thorvald Martin Tandberg I (1874-1970), managed a restaurant. Thorvald was born in Portland, Maine. Carl's mother was Alvilde Marie Naess (1875-1933) of Oslo, Norway. Carl married Alice Nazian Gonyer (1909-1992) of Orono, Maine in 1929 and they lived in Queens, New York. He worked with Shep Fields (1910-1981) and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra; and The Jerry Blaine (1910-1973) Orchestra in 1937. While working at a music publishing company he met Glen Campbell and collaborated on several recordings. He worked with the Frankie Ortega Trio in Las Vegas and at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach for 11 years. He moved to Burbank, California in the 1940s and worked as a musician in Alhambra, California at Dick White's Rickey's Lounge, starting in 1957 with Paul Peters and Stan Seltzer. He later became the maître d' at their restaurant. After he retired from music he worked for a private security company at KTTV studios. He later worked as the gate security guard at the home of Bob Hope. He died in Los Angeles in 1988 of a heart attack, and was buried in Eternal Valley Memorial Park. His maternal uncle was Alfred Næss, the Norwegian speedskater.