Paul Tanner

Paul Ora Warren Tanner (1917–2013) was an American jazz trombonist, inventor, author, and educator from Skunk Hollow, Campbell County, Kentucky. He learned the trombone at a reform school and performed with Glenn Miller and His Orchestra between 1938 and 1942. Following service in the Army Air Force Band, Tanner worked as a studio musician for ABC, frequently collaborating with Henry Mancini. Tanner earned three degrees from UCLA, where he co-launched the jazz education program in 1958 and served as a professor. Alongside Bob Whitsell, he developed the Electro-Theremin, which he played on the Beach Boys tracks “Good Vibrations”, “Wild Honey”, and “I Just Wasn't Made for These Times”. He authored several books, including A Study of Jazz (1964) and Sideman: Stories About the Band (2000). Tanner died in Carlsbad, California, on February 5, 2013.

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