Gary Peacock learned the piano and drums as a teenager, and later on the bass during his military service. Upon his return to the United States in 1956, he settled in Los Angeles and quickly got to work with Art Pepper, Barney Kessel and Paul Bley. A follow-up move to NYC in 1962 saw collaborations with Bill Evans and Miles Davis, and an influential meeting with saxophonist Albert Ayer. In a drastic change of career, the musician set out for Japan in 1969 to pursue philosophy and medical studies, putting a temporary halt to his career in the 1970s. In 1977, Peacock resumed his musical journey, releasing Tales of Another in 1977, an album featuring Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette, with whom he also formed the Standards Trio in the mid-1980s. In 2009, Peacock recorded Insight, with Marc Copland.