Music to Be Born By

Mickey Hart

Although he drummed for the Grateful Dead for almost 30 years, and still plays with the remaining members as the Dead, Mickey Hart has also established a separate identity as a world music artist, producer, champion, and rainmaker. His groundbreaking 1991 compilation album, PLANET DRUM, gathered an international line-up of percussionists in celebration of the world's rich musical tapestry, and his three best-selling books about spirituality, culture, and rhythm have educated countless percussionists on both the brass tacks and the ethereal aspects of their art. Hart has also served on the advisory board of the Smithsonian Folkways label, as well as on the Board of Trustees of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, and has been a force for digitally archiving the recorded treasures in their respective vaults.