Born in Louisiana, an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most familiar as the lead on Henry Mancini’s The Pink Panther Theme.

He and his pianist brother Ray first recorded as the Johnson Brothers in New Orleans in the late 1940s, and Plas then toured with R&B singer Charles Brown. After army service, he moved to Los Angeles and began session recordings as a full-time musician, backing artists such as B.B. King and Johnny Otis as well as scores of other R&B performers.

Recruited by Capitol Records in the mid-1950s, Johnson also played on countless records by Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and others. He remained a leading session player for almost twenty years, playing everything from movie soundtracks to rock and roll singles, such as with Ricky Nelson. He played on many of the Beach Boys’ records and was an integral part of a number of instrumental groups that existed in name only, such as B. Bumble and the Stingers.

In 1963, he recorded the Pink Panther theme, but ironically, played on only the first few of the cartoon series. He was also used by Motown and played on hits by Marvin Gaye, the Supremes and others. In 1970, he played with a number of jazz and swing bands of the period. He continues to record and perform, particularly at jazz festivals.