Mike Garson has spent decades building a remarkable career as a pianist, composer and musician, but some of the most interesting parts of his life have happened away from the stage.
Garson and his wife, Susan, have two daughters and two grandchildren. His family has also shared a remarkable connection with some of the biggest names in music, including legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea.
One of Garson’s daughters is named Jennifer. She grew up in a household where music was not simply a profession, but a major part of everyday life. The family’s relationship with Chick Corea was especially close. Corea was a family friend who lived with the Garsons in Brooklyn during the 1960s, and he even became the official godfather of both Garson’s daughters.
Years later, that family connection to music continued into another generation. Garson has performed on stage with his grandson’s rock band, SUMMIT, showing that his love of music has been passed down through the family.
Who Are Mike Garson’s Children?
Mike Garson and his wife Susan have two daughters.
One of them is named Jennifer, while the name of his other daughter has not been as widely publicized.
The Garsons have generally maintained a private family life, so there are not many publicly available details about their daughters. What is known, however, gives an interesting picture of a family that has remained closely connected to music across generations.
Garson’s career has taken him around the world and placed him alongside major performers, but his role as a father has always been separate from his public identity as a musician.
His daughters also had the unusual experience of growing up around some extraordinary musical talent.
Jennifer and Her Childhood Around Music
Jennifer is one of Mike Garson’s two daughters.
Her childhood included a particularly special connection to Chick Corea, one of the most influential jazz pianists of his generation.
According to accounts from Garson’s family, Corea was a close friend who lived with the Garsons in Brooklyn during the 1960s.
For Jennifer, that meant one of the world’s great jazz musicians was not simply a famous performer she might see on a stage. He was someone who was part of the family’s everyday life.
Corea even babysat Jennifer during those years.
That detail gives a sense of just how close the friendship between the two families was. It was not a distant professional relationship. Corea was close enough to the Garson family to spend time in their home and help care for their children.
Chick Corea as the Girls’ Godfather
Chick Corea’s relationship with the Garson family went even further.
He served as the official godfather to both of Mike Garson’s daughters.
That connection became one of the most memorable parts of the family’s history.
Corea and Garson shared a deep musical friendship, but their relationship also extended into family life. Having Corea as godfather gave Garson’s daughters a personal connection to a musician whose influence reached far beyond the jazz world.
For Garson, the friendship was clearly meaningful.
When Corea died in 2021, Garson reflected publicly on their relationship and remembered the important role Corea had played in his family’s life.
The story of Corea living with the Garsons and babysitting Jennifer offers a rare glimpse into the personal side of two musicians who were connected through much more than music.
Mike Garson and His Wife Susan
Mike Garson’s family life has been closely tied to his wife, Susan.
Together, they raised their two daughters and later became grandparents.
While Garson’s professional career has been extensively documented, he has not placed his family life at the centre of his public image.
That privacy has meant that relatively few details about Susan and their daughters are widely known.
Still, the family has remained an important part of Garson’s life.
As his career developed over the years, he continued to balance his professional work with his responsibilities as a husband and father. Eventually, the family expanded again when his daughters became parents themselves.
Garson is now a grandfather to two grandchildren.
Mike Garson’s Two Grandchildren
Garson and Susan have two grandchildren.
Becoming a grandfather added another generation to a family that already had a strong musical identity.
One particularly interesting part of Garson’s life as a grandfather is his involvement with his grandson’s music.
Rather than simply watching from the audience, Garson has actually joined his grandson’s rock band, SUMMIT, on stage.
For a musician with such a long and respected career, performing with a family member must have been a very different kind of musical experience.
It also shows that Garson has remained enthusiastic about playing music regardless of the setting.
Garson Performs With His Grandson’s Band
Mike Garson’s appearance with SUMMIT is one of the clearest examples of music being passed from one generation to another in his family.
SUMMIT is his grandson’s rock band, and Garson has joined the group on stage to perform.
It is a striking image. Garson has performed with major artists and spent decades working professionally as a pianist, yet he has also found time to play alongside the next generation of his own family.
The experience appears to reflect his continuing enthusiasm for live music.
For his grandson and the rest of the band, having an internationally respected pianist join them must have been an unforgettable experience.
It also demonstrates that Garson’s musical identity is not limited to one style or generation.
A Family With a Deep Musical Connection
Music has clearly played an unusual role in the Garson family.
Mike Garson’s own career has covered jazz, classical influences, rock and experimental music. His work with David Bowie is among the most recognizable parts of his career, but his musical interests have always been much broader.
At home, his children were therefore surrounded by a musician who viewed creativity as an essential part of life.
The presence of Chick Corea made that environment even more remarkable.
Corea was not only a friend of Garson but also someone who became closely connected to the family. He lived with them for a period in Brooklyn and became godfather to Garson’s daughters.
Decades later, Garson’s grandson became a musician himself.
That makes the family’s story feel almost like a musical circle, moving from Garson’s generation to his daughters and then to his grandchildren.
Mike Garson as a Grandfather
Garson’s role as a grandfather appears to be another way he has remained connected to music.
Joining his grandson’s band is not something every grandfather would do, particularly on stage in front of an audience.
For Garson, however, music has always been a form of communication and expression.
Performing with SUMMIT allows him to share that passion with a younger generation while also supporting his grandson’s interests.
It is a different kind of performance from the major concerts and professional collaborations that defined much of Garson’s career, but perhaps an even more personal one.
Instead of playing simply as a professional musician, he is playing alongside family.
The Legacy Mike Garson Is Passing Down
Mike Garson’s musical legacy is already substantial, but his family adds another dimension to that story.
His two daughters grew up with music all around them, and one of the greatest jazz musicians of the modern era was also their godfather.
Now Garson’s grandchildren are part of the next generation.
His grandson’s involvement with SUMMIT has allowed Garson to participate directly in that continuation of the family connection to music.
For someone who has spent so many years performing professionally, watching younger family members discover their own musical interests must be especially meaningful.
Mike Garson Children and Family Life
Mike Garson’s children are an important but relatively private part of his life.
He and his wife, Susan, have two daughters and two grandchildren. One daughter is Jennifer, while both daughters share the extraordinary distinction of having Chick Corea as their godfather.
Corea’s connection with the family goes back to the 1960s, when he lived with the Garsons in Brooklyn and even babysat Jennifer.
Today, Garson’s family connection to music continues through his grandchildren. His grandson plays in the rock band SUMMIT, and Garson has joined the group on stage.
That detail perhaps says more about Garson’s love of music than any biography could. Even after a remarkable professional career, he continues to play, create and share music with the people closest to him.
His story is therefore not only about a celebrated pianist and his career. It is also about a husband, father and grandfather whose passion for music has reached several generations of his family.