Paul Tanner (October 15, 1917 – February 5, 2013) was an American musician and a member of the

Glenn Miller Orchestra Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was an American swing dance band formed by Glenn Miller in 1938. Arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, and three other saxophones playing harmony, the band became the most popular and com ...

. He developed and played the Electro-Theremin, a

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

soundalike instrument that is best known for its use on

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

1966 songs "

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, the lyrics describe the disillusionment of someone who struggles to fit into socie ...

" and "

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record c ...

Early life

Paul O.W. Tanner was born on Oct. 15, 1917, in Skunk Hollow, Campbell County, Kentucky. Tanner had five brothers, and each could play an instrument. Tanner learned to play the trombone at a reform school where his father was employed as superintendent.Heckman, Don. (2013, February 6).
Paul Tanner dies at 95; trombonist with Glenn Miller Orchestra
'. The Los Angeles Times. Tanner and his brothers were playing in what he described as a "strip joint" when Miller heard him and offered him a position in his band.

Career

Tanner gained fame as a

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

, playing with

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

and His Orchestra from 1938 to 1942, the group's entire duration. When it disbanded, Tanner joined the

U.S. Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, becoming a part of the 378th Army Service Forces Band at Ft Slocum, NY. He later worked as a studio musician in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. Tanner earned three degrees at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

— a bachelor's in 1958 (graduating ''magna cum laude''), a master's in 1961, and a doctorate in 1975. He also was influential in launching UCLA's highly regarded jazz education program in 1958. He then became a professor at UCLA and also authored or co-authored several academic and popular histories related to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

Electro-Theremin

He developed and played the Electro-Theremin, an electronic musical instrument that mimics the sound of the

. He can be heard performing on the opening title theme music of the 1963-66 CBS-TV comedy series "My Favorite Martian." The Electro-Theremin is featured on several 1966–1967 recordings by

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

, with Tanner as the guest player ; most notably on the Capitol Records singles "

", " Wild Honey", in the album track "

I Just Wasn't Made For These Times "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, the lyrics describe the disillusionment of someone who struggles to fit into socie ...

", and in the then-unreleased Dennis Wilson's song "Tune L" found in the 1967 archival release " 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow".

Death

Tanner died of pneumonia on February 5, 2013 at the age of 95. He was the fourth-to-last surviving member of the

, being surpassed by bassist

Trigger Alpert Herman "Trigger" Alpert (September 3, 1916 – December 21, 2013) was an American jazz bassist from Indianapolis, Indiana. Music career A native of Indianapolis, Alpert attended Indiana University, where he studied music. Soon after, he played ...

, who died ten months later, trombonist

Nat Peck Nathan Peck (January 13, 1925 – October 24, 2015) was an American jazz trombonist. Early life Peck was born in New York City on January 13, 1925. His father was a cinema projectionist. Peck began playing the trombone as a teenager. Later life a ...

, who died in 2015, and trumpeter

Ray Anthony Raymond Antonini (born January 20, 1922), known as Ray Anthony, is an American bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter, and actor. He is the last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Biography Anthony was born to an Italian family in Ben ...

, who is living.

Bibliography

* ''Jazz'', with Maurice Gerow and David W. Megill (1964, W. C. Brown / 2009, McGraw-Hill; ) * ''Every Night Was New Year's Eve: On the Road With Glenn Miller '' . With Bill Cox (1992, Cosmo Space Co., Ltd. Tokyo. )

References

External links

*
Paul Tanner Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2001) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanner, Paul 1917 births 2013 deaths American inventors American male jazz musicians American writers about music American jazz trombonists Deaths from pneumonia in California Glenn Miller Orchestra members Jazz musicians from Kentucky Male trombonists Theremin players UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music faculty United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II