Paul Tanner obit

Paul Tanner of the Glenn Miller Orchestra Dead at 95

Trombonist developed Electro-Theremin made famous by the Beach Boys 

He was not on the list.

Paul Tanner, a trombonist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra who later gave the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” its eerie hook, has died at 95.

His stepson, Douglas Darnell, of Youngstown, Ohio, says Tanner died of pneumonia Tuesday morning at an assisted living center in Carlsbad, Calif.

Tanner performed with Miller from 1938 to 1942. During his long career he also worked as a movie studio and ABC musician in California, and performed with stars that included Tex Beneke, Henry Mancini and Arturo Toscanini.

He also helped develop the electro-theramin, an electronic instrument. Tanner provided its unusual sound on several Beach Boys recordings, including “Good Vibrations.”

Tanner also was a music professor at UCLA for 23 years and helped write several books.

Tanner gained fame as a trombonist, playing with Glenn Miller and His Orchestra from 1938 to 1942, the group's entire duration. When it disbanded, Tanner joined the U.S. Army Air Force, becoming a part of the 378th Army Service Forces Band at Ft Slocum, New York. He later worked as a studio musician in Hollywood.