from a Tube-Net Post September 2004
I heard that there is a discussion about who is the MOST RECORDED TUBA PLAYER and want to weigh in on it. The lack of information and the mis-information on this topic is really amazing.
TOMMY JOHNSON IS ABSOLUTELY THE CHAMPION.
NO ONE ELSE EVEN COMES CLOSE!!
Tommy started recording in the Hollywood Studios right out of college and has had a long and busy career. He has recorded many THOUSANDS of movie scores, television shows, records, jingles, cartoons, theme park music, video games–you name it. And he has recorded music almost every day for over 40 years. There were many times when he would work double and triple sessions 7 days a week. He has done almost all of the Academy Awards Shows in those years and he has recorded with many of the greatest composers and artists from film to symphony and opera to jazz and rock. And during that long career he has been and remains the busiest tuba player in the studios.
NO symphony player, even considering archieval concert recordings, can equal his record. NO European Radio Orchestra can equal it. NO sampled synthesizer tuba can equal it. NO chamber group with dozens of CDs can equal it.
There is probably not a human alive who has not heard music where Tommy was the tuba player–that means BILLIONS of listeners.
I doubt if anyone will EVER equal his numbers again. He is a unique man of his time, the recording business during his career and, of course, his enormous talent.
Jim Self