A studio musician whose saxophone work became synonymous with Hollywood mystery and sophistication died July 15 in Granada Hills, California. Plas Johnson, who recorded the instantly recognizable tenor solo for Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther” theme, was 94, just short of turning 95.
Johnson’s children Eric Johnson and Stephanie Oliver announced his death, which occurred at his residence in the Los Angeles neighborhood. His family did not reveal what caused his passing, though they noted he had continued playing music for residents at his retirement community as recently as a month earlier.
Born July 21, 1931, in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, Plas John Johnson Jr. grew up as the middle of three siblings in a household where music was a constant. Both parents were musicians—his father on banjo and saxophone, his mother at the piano. He began his professional life at age 10 as a vocalist, only receiving his first instrument, a soprano saxophone, at 12.
From New Orleans to Hollywood
After learning clarinet and flute in addition to alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, the teenage Johnson was already working gigs in New Orleans. That experience led to a position in R&B vocalist Charles Brown’s touring ensemble. Military service interrupted his career, during which he performed in an Army musical group.
Johnson and his brother Ray made their first recordings together in 1950 on the DeLuxe Records label. After abandoning the soprano instrument for alto and tenor horns, he relocated to Los Angeles in 1954, where he quickly became embedded in the city’s recording scene.
Over a career that stretched beyond five decades, he became one of the most in-demand session players in the business. His credits included work with Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, BB King, Marvin Gaye, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee. Yet nothing he did matched the cultural impact of the saxophone line he laid down in 1963 for Blake Edwards’ comedy starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau.
Mancini’s Custom Creation
Composer Henry Mancini didn’t write the theme and then search for the right player. Instead, he designed the music around Johnson’s particular abilities, later writing that the saxophonist had “the sound and the style I wanted.” That partnership produced a tune that transcended its cinematic origins to become cultural shorthand for sneakiness and intrigue.
Reflecting on the recording years afterward, Johnson remembered an unusual experience. “We only did two takes, I think,” he once said. “When we finished, everyone applauded, even the string players.” He noted with dry humor that string players never applaud for anything.
The track’s success extended far beyond the recording studio. Released as a single, it reached the Top 10 on the adult contemporary chart and collected three Grammy Awards. The American Film Institute later ranked the score 20th among the greatest film scores in cinema history, and it earned a nomination in the best original score category at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1965.
Behind the Hits
Johnson’s saxophone appeared on countless recordings where individual musicians went uncredited. He contributed to television themes for “The Monkees,” “Mannix” and “The Odd Couple.” His piccolo can be heard on Bobby Day’s 1958 hit “Rockin’ Robin,” and he played on The Beach Boys’ landmark 1966 release “Pet Sounds.” For 15 years, he was a member of host Merv Griffin’s house band on “The Merv Griffin Show.”
He described his role with precision. His contributions, he later reflected, would consistently elevate a track by that extra degree, regardless of whether his solo lasted eight or 12 measures, and he typically provided instrumental support following the singer’s parts.
The Pink Panther connection lasted throughout his life. In 2006, Johnson recorded a fresh version of the theme for the remake featuring Steve Martin, returning to the melody that had defined him for more than four decades.
Record producer and harmonica player Bob Corritore paid tribute on social media, calling Johnson a musician’s musician with a rich, resonant sound and elegant melodic sense that persisted throughout his entire career. Corritore recalled attempting to compliment Johnson’s raw, rocking jump-blues recordings from the mid-1950s, only to have the saxophonist dismiss them as rudimentary when measured against the sophisticated jazz artistry that marked his subsequent work.
Survivors include his wife of six decades, Carol; son Philip; children Eric Johnson and Stephanie Oliver; three children from an earlier marriage—Cheryl, David and Denise; along with eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
