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Saturday, October 28, 2006

Jaws Tuba Man Dies



Remember the theme song for the movie "Jaws" and those ominious notes that put the fear of sharks and the water into so many of us?

TA DUM, TA DUM, TA DUM, TA DUM...

Well, out of the AP comes news that Tommy Johnson, whose tuba "put the shark teeth" into the Jaws theme song died on Octber 16, at the age of 71.

Johnson, a veteran studio musician, played on thousands of movie scores over nearly 50 years, including "The Godfather," "Titanic," and the Star Trek series.
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14 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 28, 2006 4:45 PM

    I wonder if he played the tuba parts on Close Encounters of the Third Kind?

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  2. BrookeOctober 28, 2006 11:23 PM

    I wonder if there's much call for a tuba player?

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  3. Jay NoelOctober 28, 2006 11:28 PM

    Who will take his place???

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  4. cubeOctober 29, 2006 12:07 AM

    Baron Steve: That's a good question. Some research is in order.

    brooke: He made a good living for himself & was quite famous. He did get an obit in The BLOG.

    phoenix: I dunno. Perhaps he is irreplacable. Um, do you play the tuba?

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  5. cubeOctober 29, 2006 12:33 AM

    BTW I ran an internet check on Tommy Johnson and he does appear as a performer in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.

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  6. elmers brotherOctober 29, 2006 5:46 PM

    a sad day for tuba lovers the world over

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  7. elmers brotherOctober 29, 2006 5:46 PM

    a sad day for tuba lovers the world over

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  8. WomanHonorThyselfOctober 30, 2006 11:17 AM

    hiya Cube..o that Jaws music still scares me..lol

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  9. nancOctober 30, 2006 11:59 AM

    the school band our son is in has FOUR tuba players - that's right - FOUR! why, i'd say tuba players the world over should have a moment of silence.

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  10. cubeOctober 30, 2006 4:50 PM

    The tuba made the Jaws theme all the more scary, if you ask me. A piccolo or a flute could never have pulled that off. I have underrated the tuba, but no more!

    nanc: my daughter's high school band has at least 4 tubas too, maybe more. I guess that's pretty much standard for school bands.

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  11. 8675309October 30, 2006 4:57 PM

    I was sad to hear this. :( I went to UCLA and was in the marching band, so a lot of people I knew, knew Tommy Johnson (and some had even taken master classes with him). From all reports, he was a cool guy.

    And yes, I've been told he definitely WAS the "voice of the mother ship" from Close Encounters. :)

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  12. cubeOctober 31, 2006 8:08 AM

    jenny: hey, thanks for the insider info.

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  13. Jamie DawnOctober 31, 2006 5:08 PM

    The Jaws song and Psycho's screechy dischordy tune are simple, and very unnerving. They are probably the most recognized terror musical scores of all time.

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  14. cubeNovember 01, 2006 7:06 AM

    I would add the Halloween theme and the Exorcist theme to that creepy tune list.

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