Michael "mickey" Steven Hartmen(September 11 1943-Present)
Born Michael Steven Hartmen on September 11, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York, Mickey followed the lead of his father, Lenny, and eventually changed his last name to simply Hart, which sounded more American to him. Born the son of two drummers, Mickey had an inherent sense for the keeping of a beat. His father had been named world senior solo rudimental drum champion at the 1939 New York World's Fair, and his mother Leah was also a talented percussionist. The product of their union would devote his life to the art of drumming. Deserted by his father at a young age, Mickey relied solely on his mother, a gown maker and bookkeeper, for support. An intelligent, energetic child, Mickey's talents in the classroom were often overshadowed by his inability to focus and he would often have his Grandmother wait for him by the street so he could see her from the classroom. By age ten, Mickey had discovered his father's legacy, a drum pad and a pair of sticks, tucked away in a closet. Instantly, he became intrigued, and when his mother Leah found out he was serious about playing, she began to give him lessons. Mickey recalled himself that, "from the age of ten, all I did was drum. Obsessively. Passionately. Painfully." He rarely spent time socializing, but would take a two week vacation driving around the country with his grandparents once a year, an event he enjoyed. After moving to Long Island before his freshman year of High School, Mickey kept drumming and eventually won the first chair in the school's All State Band.
Claiming that the air force was a haven for drummers, Mickey left high school during his senior year and began service. At some point during his service, Mickey stumbled upon a brochure with his father's picture on it, curious and eager to reconnect with his father Mickey followed the ad to Remo Belli, owner of Remo Drumheads who told him where to find Lenny. Unfortunately, Mickey was too soon assigned to a base in Spain, whereupon he lost track of his father again but was able to compete at a high level in judo throughout Europe. Upon his release from service, he tracked down Lenny again and was invited by him to join in the running of his music store in San Carlos, California called Hart Music. It was around this time that Mickey first encountered the drug LSD and he watched the world come alive around him, painting psychedelic designs on the front of bass drums. One night in the year 1967 he met Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kruetzmann at one of their Fillmore shows and according to Mickey, the two spent the night "playing the drums of the city." He soon joined the band to the delight of Garcia and Lesh, who were enthusiastic about what Mickey could bring to the table. Initially, he moved into a closet at Billy and Phil's apartment and began studying excessively with his new partner in percussion.
Always a very cerebral being, Hart believed in self-hypnosis and would sometimes use the technique as part of his drumming regimen. He would say things to Kreutzmann like, "we are going to become one, to synchronize our beats. We'll be able to play fast. We're not going to become tired." Performing more as one single entity with four arms, the cohesion between Hart and Kreutzmann was evident from the beginning. Sometimes the two would practice with one arm around another, drumming with one arm each. However, Hart was, more often than not, intensely obsessive about rehearsal and his dominating personality sometimes made it difficult for the two to remain on the same page. Pushing the band sometimes as far as Kreutzmann, Mickey was known for his complex, multi-rhythmic journeys into the uncharted waters of music. Unfortunately, after conflict between his father and band management, which resulted in a hefty sum of money being stripped from the band, Hart left the Dead in 1971, presumably due to embarrassment. During his hiatus from the band, he recorded a solo album titled Rolling Thunder, in which he explored many non-conventional drumming techniques.
Mickey returned to the Dead after three years in 1974 and remained grounded in the group's sound until their disbandment in 1995. Alongside his intangible contribution to the Grateful Dead, Mickey has also seen success as a solo artist and the author of several books. His excursions into the world of percussion and exposure to an ever-growing arsenal of percussion instruments from around the world have led him to pursue a lifelong interest in world music and ethnomusicology. His books on the history of drumming and it's traditions were insightful looks into the appreciation of global music. In 1991, Mickey produced the album Planet Drum, which received the first ever Grammy Award for Best World Music Album and remained number one on the Billboard world music chart for 26 consecutive weeks. After the death of Jerry Garcia, Hart played with reincarnations The Other One's and the Dead, while reuniting again with Kreutzmann in 2006 to form The Rhythm Devils. Also, during the summer of 2008 Hart created the Mickey Hart Band, who toured for the months of June and July and would later reappear, with slightly different artists, in August of 2011. Mickey Hart was no doubt a unique individual whose exploration into world music, exotic sounds, and polyrhythmic technique helped to establish the sound that was inherently, the Grateful Dead.
Claiming that the air force was a haven for drummers, Mickey left high school during his senior year and began service. At some point during his service, Mickey stumbled upon a brochure with his father's picture on it, curious and eager to reconnect with his father Mickey followed the ad to Remo Belli, owner of Remo Drumheads who told him where to find Lenny. Unfortunately, Mickey was too soon assigned to a base in Spain, whereupon he lost track of his father again but was able to compete at a high level in judo throughout Europe. Upon his release from service, he tracked down Lenny again and was invited by him to join in the running of his music store in San Carlos, California called Hart Music. It was around this time that Mickey first encountered the drug LSD and he watched the world come alive around him, painting psychedelic designs on the front of bass drums. One night in the year 1967 he met Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kruetzmann at one of their Fillmore shows and according to Mickey, the two spent the night "playing the drums of the city." He soon joined the band to the delight of Garcia and Lesh, who were enthusiastic about what Mickey could bring to the table. Initially, he moved into a closet at Billy and Phil's apartment and began studying excessively with his new partner in percussion.
Always a very cerebral being, Hart believed in self-hypnosis and would sometimes use the technique as part of his drumming regimen. He would say things to Kreutzmann like, "we are going to become one, to synchronize our beats. We'll be able to play fast. We're not going to become tired." Performing more as one single entity with four arms, the cohesion between Hart and Kreutzmann was evident from the beginning. Sometimes the two would practice with one arm around another, drumming with one arm each. However, Hart was, more often than not, intensely obsessive about rehearsal and his dominating personality sometimes made it difficult for the two to remain on the same page. Pushing the band sometimes as far as Kreutzmann, Mickey was known for his complex, multi-rhythmic journeys into the uncharted waters of music. Unfortunately, after conflict between his father and band management, which resulted in a hefty sum of money being stripped from the band, Hart left the Dead in 1971, presumably due to embarrassment. During his hiatus from the band, he recorded a solo album titled Rolling Thunder, in which he explored many non-conventional drumming techniques.
Mickey returned to the Dead after three years in 1974 and remained grounded in the group's sound until their disbandment in 1995. Alongside his intangible contribution to the Grateful Dead, Mickey has also seen success as a solo artist and the author of several books. His excursions into the world of percussion and exposure to an ever-growing arsenal of percussion instruments from around the world have led him to pursue a lifelong interest in world music and ethnomusicology. His books on the history of drumming and it's traditions were insightful looks into the appreciation of global music. In 1991, Mickey produced the album Planet Drum, which received the first ever Grammy Award for Best World Music Album and remained number one on the Billboard world music chart for 26 consecutive weeks. After the death of Jerry Garcia, Hart played with reincarnations The Other One's and the Dead, while reuniting again with Kreutzmann in 2006 to form The Rhythm Devils. Also, during the summer of 2008 Hart created the Mickey Hart Band, who toured for the months of June and July and would later reappear, with slightly different artists, in August of 2011. Mickey Hart was no doubt a unique individual whose exploration into world music, exotic sounds, and polyrhythmic technique helped to establish the sound that was inherently, the Grateful Dead.