Jazz musician Plas Johnson, whose tenor saxophone solo became one of the most recognizable sounds in film music through the Grammy winning “Pink Panther” theme, died at age 94.
The son of a professional saxophonist, Johnson built his early career specializing in jump blues and R&B before becoming a highly respected live and studio session player.
Johnson’s saxophone solo opened Henry Mancini’s iconic theme for the 1963 film “The Pink Panther,” setting the tone before the full horn section joined in. The song, paired with Peter Sellers comedic performance as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau, became one of the most enduring pieces of film music of its era. Mancini reportedly wrote the tune specifically with Johnson’s nimble playing style in mind.
Johnson gained widespread acclaim as a member of “The Wrecking Crew”, a group of Los Angeles based session musicians who were frequently the first choice for producers and record executives. The group earned its reputation for exceptional versatility, often delivering polished recordings with minimal rehearsal time.
In a 2008 documentary about The Wrecking Crew, Johnson spoke candidly about the challenges musicians in his position often faced, describing how session players’ names were sometimes left off recordings entirely, whether to protect the credited band’s image or because a different act was later assembled to publicly front music the session musicians had actually created.
Born in Louisiana, Johnson also spent 15 years playing in the house band for “The Merv Griffin Show,” a popular television talk show, further cementing his reputation as one of the most reliable and versatile musicians of his generation.
