Mickey Hart
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Mickey Hart at the Web 2.0 conference in 2005. |
Mickey Hart (born
September 11,
1943) is known as one of the two
drummers from the
rock band the
Grateful Dead. He and fellow Dead drummer
Bill Kreutzmann earned the nickname
the Rhythm Devils. He joined the Dead in
September 1967 before leaving the band in
February 1971, due to agony over bad business deals by his father
Lenny Hart, who had briefly managed
The Grateful Dead.
During his sabbatical he recorded the album
Rolling Thunder, in 1972.
He returned to the Dead in
1975 and remained with the group until their official split some twenty years later in
1995.
Hart is also a
percussionist, a solo artist, and the author of several books. His travels and his interest in all things
percussion-related led him to collect percussion instruments, and to collaborate with percussion masters the world over.
Hart was influential in recording global musical traditions on the verge of possible extinction, working with archivists and ethnomusicologists at both the
American Folklife Center at the
Library of Congress, and the
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage at the
Smithsonian Institution. Mickey Hart is on the Board of Trustees of the
American Folklife Center and has been a spokesperson for the
Save Our Sounds audio preservation initiative. He also serves on the Library of Congress National Recorded Sound Preservation Board and is known for reissues and other recordings with historical and cultural value.
Hart's album Planet Drum not only hit #1 on the Billboard World Music Chart, remaining there for 26 weeks, it also received the Grammy for Best World Music Album in 1991 -- the first Grammy ever awarded in this category.
Mickey Hart has authored books on the history and traditions of drumming throughout history. His solo recordings (featuring a variety of guest musicians) are percussive of course, but also verge on
New Age music categorically. His enthusiasm for
world music traditions and preservation and collaborative efforts is comparable to that of
guitarist Ry Cooder.
Before joining the Grateful Dead, he and his father,
Leonard Hart, a champion rudimental drummer, owned and operated Hart Music, selling drums and musical instruments in San Carlos, California.
In 2005, Hart joined the band
Particle to create the Hydra Project.
Hart was romantically involved with
Joan Baez for a brief period during the early 1980s.
Bibliography
*
Drumming at the Edge of Magic : A Journey into the Spirit of Percussion *
Spirit into Sound : The Magic of Music *
Planet Drum : A Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm*
Songcatchers : In Search of the World's MusicSolo discography
*
Rolling Thunder, 1972, Warner Bros.
*
At the Edge, 1990,
Rykodisc*
Planet Drum, 1991, Rykodisc
*
Mickey Hart's Mystery Box, 1996, Rykodisc
*
Supralingua, 1998, Rykodisc
*
Hydra*
Mickey Hart official site*
Mickey Hart at The Music Box - A collection of concert reviews, album reviews, and interviews
*
