[1][2][3] Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone.He became interested in jazz after hearing the music of Louis Jordan and James Moody in short films.

[4] In the late 1960s and early 1970 Garnett also played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Charles Mingus and Miles Davis.

[5] His group recorded five albums for three years between 1974 and 1977 on Muse, notably Journey to Enlightenment, Black Love, and Let This Melody Ring On.

[1] In 1982, Garnett, suffering from depression and drug abuse, experienced a spiritual awakening and stopped playing music for almost a decade.

The 9th Annual Panama Jazz Festival in 2012, organized by Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez, was dedicated to Carlos Garnett in recognition of his contribution to music.