Aug
08

Grateful Dead drummer keeps musical tradition alive

On October 11,  Smithsonian Folkways Recordings will release “The Mickey Hart Collection” to preserve and further the Grateful Dead percussionist’s endeavor to cross borders and expand musical horizons. Smithsonian Folkways will make many of Mickey Hart’s music projects available digitally (stream and download) for the first time while keeping physical versions in print as on-demand CDs.

“The Mickey Hart Collection” begins with 25 albums drawn from “The World,” a series Hart curated that incorporated his solo projects, other artists’ productions, and re-releases of out-of-print titles. Six of the 25 albums form the “Endangered Music Project,” a collaboration between Mickey Hart and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, which presents recordings from musical traditions at risk.

Hart discusses the collection in this video:

Listen to audio samples of the 25 albums and get full details here.


Posted: 8 August 2011
About the Author:

The former lead vocalist/guitarist for Southwater, a Charlottesville-based bluegrass band,David Horgan joined Smithsonian Folkways in April 2008 to manage online marketing and sales of the collection via Smithsonian websites, distributors such as iTunes and eMusic, and other outlets.