Ian Gardiner

Bass player (jazz, rock, blues) and engineer. (born December 4, 1952, in Winnipeg, Manitoba)

He has played with Burton Cummings, formerly of The Guess Who (“American Woman”, “No Time”, “Undun”, “Stand Tall”), Lenny Breau, Ken McIntyre, Randy Bachman and many other musicians. He's produced Bo Diddley, The Bonedaddy's and The Delphines; engineered Supertramp and The Knack, and more. In 1996, he began designing and manufacturing custom pro audio gear and recording consoles, as the founder of Boutique Audio & Design and co-founder of Tree Audio, located in Los Angeles, California.

As a teen, Ian Gardiner was surrounded by creativity. Neil Young, Burton Cummings, Lenny Breau and Randy Bachman all began in Winnipeg around that time. In 1965, surrounded by Winnipeg's exciting music scene and after seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, thirteen-year-old Gardiner joined his first band: Ragnar and the Pagans. Soon, he and his good friend Glen Hall began listening to more eclectic music. At about seventeen, Gardiner started playing with Winnipeg jazz players: Al Thumbler, jazz drummer Bill Graham, and with jazz guitarist Lenny Breau. From 1972 to 1974, Gardiner played bass in the band for Manitoba Theatre Centre Productions of 'Jaques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris' and 'Jubalay.' In the mid to late 1970s, Gardiner joined Winnipeg band Mood Jga Jga. By 1976, he began playing bass with Burton Cummings, after Cummings left The Guess Who. 1978, Gardiner played with Cummings on "Dream of Child," which went on to earn a Juno Award for record of the year, and was the first ever triple platinum album for a Canadian artist.

1980, Gardiner co-wrote the song "Fine State of Affairs" with Cummings, which later won a SOCAN Award. Another song Gardiner wrote with Cummings, "Love Dream," won a SOCAN Award in 1986. 1987, Gardiner co-produced Bo Diddley's "Surfer's Love Chant" for the John Cusack and Tim Robbins movie 'Tapeheads', with The Bonedaddys' King Cotton as co-producer. With [a=R.E.M]'s Peter Buck, Gardiner co-produced The Moberlys. In 1996, he produced and engineered former Go-Go's guitarist Kathy Valentine, bass player Dominique Davalos' band The Delphines. While he still plays bass, beginning in 1996 Ian Gardiner designs and manufactures custom professional audio gear and recording consoles in his two businesses: Boutique Audio & Design and Tree Audio, which he runs with his business partner Steve Firlotte from Inward Connections.