Mike Garson

Mike Garson (born Michael David Garson on July 29, 1945 in New York City) is an American pianist and keyboard virtuoso whose career spans more than six decades. He first gained notice after graduating from Brooklyn College with a music degree in 1970 and joining the eclectic rock/country/jazz group Brethren, where he recorded two albums before attracting the attention of avant‑garde vocalist Annette Peacock. Through Peacock he met David Bowie, and Garson became the legendary Bowie’s longest‑serving band member, contributing the iconic atonal piano solo on ‘Aladdin Sane’ (1973) and appearing on every major Bowie tour from the early Ziggy Stardust shows through the 2016 Bowie Alumni tours. His work with Bowie earned him a reputation as a daring improviser, able to shift from blues‑based riffs to Latin‑flavored passages on a single take, a skill he later applied to collaborations with Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Duran Duran, St. Vincent, and many others. In addition to his prolific session work, Garson has maintained an ambitious solo discography that includes avant‑jazz releases such as Avant Garson (1979), The Bowie Variations (2011), and the therapeutic Symphonic Healing Suite (2015), a composition written in partnership with neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duma to aid stroke patients. He has also explored film scoring, contributed to the Grammy‑nominated Gone Girl soundtrack, and performed live in tribute concerts celebrating Bowie’s legacy. On the personal side, Garson married his wife Susan in 1968; the couple raised two daughters, Jennifer and Heather, and a large extended family before a 2018 wildfire destroyed their Bell Canyon home and studio. Throughout his career, Garson has remained a versatile, genre‑defying musician who continues to inspire both listeners and fellow artists with his uncompromising creativity.