Garfield Cookie Coleman handles the piano and bass keyboard chores with Smooth-Connection, complete with blazing solos and occasional vocals.  Affectionately known as “Cookie” by his peers, he is the product of a musical Southern California family and began his musical career at the tender age of four when his father began teaching him the fundamentals of playing the piano.  Cookie  excelled quickly and later added bass guitar and violin to his musical arsenal along with composition and, with that, the stage was set.

Cookie began playing professionally in the San Fernando Valley area with two of his brothers – Clarence and Bruce – as “The Three Kings.”  With their local success, sister Carol was added to the group as lead vocalist and their local performances soon expanded to San Diego , San Francisco , Oklahoma and Colorado .  With their still growing popularity, the group added the remaining siblings and the eight-piece family unit known as “The Coleman Reunion” was born.  As The Coleman Reunion they recorded, made television appearances and traveled extensively both locally and internationally.  In fact, it was in Tokyo Japan where Cookie met Smooth-Connection’s Ernie Jefferson aka Ernie Clark who was then traveling as guitarist with the now popular Las Vegas act known as The Steppenstonz.

Cookie’s extraordinary talent is readily apparent each time he sits behind the keyboard.  As a former Music and Choir Director for Allen Chapel A.M.E. church in Riverside , Cookie’s playing takes on an added dimension by combining that spiritual element with his creativity, knowledge and experience to make that Smooth-Connection with his listening audience.