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Mickey Hart is best known for his nearly three decades as an integral part of an
extraordinary expedition into the soul and
spirit of music, disguised as the rock and roll band the
Grateful Dead. As half of the percussion tandem known as the
Rhythm Devils, Mickey and Bill Kreutzmann transcended the
conventions of rock drumming. Their extended polyrhythmic
excursions were highlights of Grateful Dead shows,
introducing the band's audience to an ever-growing arsenal of
percussion instruments from around the world.
Exposure to
these exotic sounds fueled Mickey's desire to learn about the
various cultures that produced them.
His tireless study of the world's music led Mickey to many great teachers and
collaborators,
including his partners in Planet Drum.
Planet Drum's self-titled 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.
Planet Drum is one of twenty-nine recordings released on Mickey's the WORLD series on Rykodisc. The
WORLD offers a wide variety of music from virtually every corner of the globe
with releases like
Voices Of The Rainforest from Papua New Guinea and
Living Art, Sounding Spirit:
The Bali
Sessions.
In 2002, Mickey established The Endangered Music Fund to return
royalty payments
from many of these recordings to the indigenous people that produced them, and
to further the
preservation of sounds and music from around the globe.
Mickey has written four books documenting his lifelong fascination with the
history and
mythology of music. These include
Drumming at the edge of magic,
Planet Drum,
Spirit into Sound: The Magic of Music, and
Songcatchers: In Search of the World?s Music.
Long a social activist, Mickey appeared in August 1991 before the U.S. Senate
Committee on
Aging, speaking on the healing value of drumming and rhythm on afflictions
associated with
aging.
Since joining the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at Beth
Abraham Hospital in
2000, Mickey is continuing his investigation into the connection between healing
and rhythm,
and the neural bases of rhythm. Official Web Site: www.mickeyhart.net |
New Version of the Site
The GondwanaSound Report, September 2, 2010
Memorable Dulce
Music Freedom Day 2011 Scheduled for March 3, 2011
Rounder Records To Release 4 CD Boxed Set ‘The Rounder Records Story’
Balkan Versatility
Strings of the Black Sea at New York World Festival 2010
Carbon-neutral Festival Fremont LoveFest To Be Held September 11, 2010
South Asian Fusionists Indian Ocean To Perform for Fundraiser at University of Toronto
New Book ‘Bob Marley And The Golden Age of Reggae’ to Be Published in October 2010