He performed on more than 2,000 film soundtracks, most notably John Williams' Jaws score, in which he played a high-register tuba solo as the melodic theme for the shark.
He was born in Los Angeles, California to tailor Thomas Johnson and his wife Alma, the youngest of five siblings.
In addition to Jaws, his films included, The Godfather, the Indiana Jones series, the Star Trek film series, The Lion King, Titanic, The Thin Red Line (1998 remake), The Matrix, Cats & Dogs, Forrest Gump, Air Force One, Back to the Future, A Bug's Life and Lethal Weapon.
Johnson said he asked composer John Williams why he didn't write the solo for the French horn, an instrument better suited for the register.
In addition to his work on film soundtracks, Johnson played on recording sessions for many albums by such artists as Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
[2] His other recordings include Clare Fischer's Extension, The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba, Partita for Brass Quintet and Tape, and Jean-Pierre Rampal Plays Scott Joplin.