Plas Johnson, the saxophonist whose distinctive tenor sound defined the iconic Pink Panther theme, has died at the age of 94. He was a first-call session musician in Hollywood, known for his stylistic and technical versatility on saxophones, flute and clarinet.
In 1963, during a session for Henry Mancini's music for the detective comedy The Pink Panther, Johnson was asked to apply his tenor saxophone to a stealthy melody. The tune became a US Top 10 hit after the film's success. Mancini wrote in his autobiography: "I had a specific saxophone player in mind. I nearly always pre-cast my players and write for them and around them, and Plas had the sound and the style I wanted."
Johnson was the only Black musician among the 20 assembled for that session, reflecting the recent amalgamation of the two local musicians' union branches divided by skin colour.
Versatile session career
Johnson's versatility led to work on pop hits including the Platters' The Great Pretender, Sam Cooke's Twistin' the Night Away, Bobby Day's Rockin' Robin (on which he played piccolo), and Larry Williams's Bony Moronie. He also appeared on albums by Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and later Linda Ronstadt, BB King, Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, Marvin Gaye, Tom Waits, Bette Midler, Etta James and many others.
However, he was not pleased when Mancini chose to record the music for later Pink Panther films in London with English saxophonist Tony Coe replicating his interpretation.
Early life and career
Born in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, to Grace and Plas Johnson Sr, a musician who bought him his first saxophone, Johnson began playing in a group with his brother Ray in New Orleans as the Johnson Brothers Combo. In 1951, aged 19, he toured with blues singer Charles Brown's band until a draft notice arrived six months later. After leaving the army in 1954, he moved to Los Angeles, where musicians from New Orleans including drummer Earl Palmer welcomed him into the studio fraternity.
Early patrons in Los Angeles included bandleader Johnny Otis, saxophonist Maxwell Davis, and record producer Dave Cavanaugh, who introduced him to Capitol Records. Johnson became recognised as an ideal studio player, often booked for two sessions a day, especially for film and television soundtracks.
A favourite of arrangers Nelson Riddle and Billy May, Johnson contributed uncredited solos such as the 16-bar tenor saxophone solo in Sinatra's 1961 recording of Blue Moon. When Linda Ronstadt recorded standard songs with Riddle in the 1980s, Johnson was a featured soloist on tracks like Little Girl Blue and Sophisticated Lady.
Jazz and later years
Johnson made his own rock'n'roll and R&B records for Capitol in the 1950s and 1960s, but albums like This Must Be the Plas! (1959) and Mood for the Blues (1960) showcased his jazz skills. Under the pseudonym Johnny Beecher, he recorded two mood jazz albums for the CRC Charter label.
His studio career and a 15-year stint on The Merv Griffin Show delayed his recognition as a top-tier jazz musician until later in life. When session work declined, he signed with Concord Records, releasing The Blues (1975) and Positively (1976), leading to club and festival appearances worldwide.
Reflecting on his career in 2005, he told the Long Beach Press-Telegram: "I’d just go in and do what they asked for. It was easy for me, and they liked what I played. You just have to know when to start and when to stop."
He is survived by his wife, Carol, and their two sons and a daughter; two daughters and a son from his first marriage to Elizabeth Blinkenberg, which ended in divorce; and eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
