Tony Garnier

Who is Tony Garnier?

Tony Garnier is an American bassist, best known as an accompanist to Bob Dylan, with whom he has played since 1989. He is Dylan's longest-running sideman, and has sometimes been characterized as his "musical director" as well.

In addition to his work with Dylan, Garnier has recorded with Tom Waits, Loudon Wainwright III, Paul Simon, Marc Ribot and Eric Andersen, and was a member of Asleep at the Wheel and The Lounge Lizards. He also played with Robert Gordon in the early 1980s. He was also a long-time sideman for David Johansen in his Buster Poindexter persona, and was also briefly a member of the Saturday Night Live house band.

His musical heritage descends from the Camelia Brass Band in New Orleans led by his grandfather, D'Jalma Garnier, a legendary early jazz player noted on the Preservation Hall roster in the New Orleans French Quarter.[3] Garnier is one of numerous grandsons descended from D'Jalma Thomas Garnier the New Orleans bandleader, trumpet player, pianist and violinist said to have taught Louis Armstrong at the New Orleans Boys Home for Colored Waifs.[