Mickey Hart Net Worth

Mickey Hart is an American percussionist, musicologist, artist, and author with a net worth of $50 million. Best known as one-half of the Grateful Dead’s legendary drumming duo alongside Bill Kreutzmann, Hart’s career spans more than five decades, including solo albums, collaborations, and groundbreaking work in world music and music therapy.

Mickey Hart Net Worth: $50 Million
Date of Birth: September 11, 1943
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York
Nationality: American
Profession: percussionist, musicologist, artist, and author

Table of Contents

Early Life

Mickey Hart was born Michael Steven Hartman on September 11, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Inwood, New York, raised by his mother, Leah, after his father, Lenny—a champion rudimental drummer—left the family. Hart discovered percussion at a young age, saying, “From the age of ten, all I did was drum.”

He attended Lawrence High School, where he was first chair in the All-State Band, but dropped out in his senior year. In 1961, Hart enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, joining the big band unit The Airmen of Note, and spent over three years stationed in Europe. During this time, he formed the band Joe and the Jaguars. After leaving the Air Force, he reconciled with his father, and together they opened the Hart Music Center in San Carlos, California.

Career with the Grateful Dead

Hart joined the Grateful Dead in September 1967, performing on albums such as Anthem of the Sun (1968), Aoxomoxoa (1969), Live/Dead (1969), Workingman’s Dead (1970), and American Beauty (1970). He briefly left in 1971 due to personal issues but returned in 1974 and remained with the band until its disbandment in 1995 following Jerry Garcia’s death.

Hart also formed the Rhythm Devils with Bill Kreutzmann, releasing The Apocalypse Now Sessions: The Rhythm Devils Play River Music (1980) and later touring with the group.

Solo Work and Collaborations

Mickey Hart has released multiple solo albums, including:

Rolling Thunder (1972)
At the Edge (1990)
Planet Drum (1991) – won Grammy Award for Best World Music Album
Spirit into Sound (1999)
RAMU (2017)

He also collaborated with world-renowned musicians such as Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Zakir Hussain, and Sikiru Adepoju, blending percussion traditions from around the globe. Hart’s work has been celebrated for fusing science, rhythm, and spirituality, including projects like Rhythms of the Universe.

Writing and Musicology

Hart has authored several books, including:

Drumming at the Edge of Magic (1990)
Planet Drum (1991)
Spirit into Sound (1999)
Songcatchers (2003)

He has also contributed to preserving global musical traditions, working with the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress.

Personal Life

Hart married Caryl Hart in 1990. The couple has two children, Taro and Reya. He even incorporated a recording of Taro’s heartbeat into his 1989 album Music to Be Born By. Hart is Jewish and has performed internationally, including at the Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival in 2013.

Awards

Grammy Award for Planet Drum (1992) and Global Drum Project (2009)
Nominated for Best Spoken Word Album for Children (1995)
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Grateful Dead (1994)
Ranked #34 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2016, with Kreutzmann)

The Grateful Dead also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, cementing Hart’s legacy as a pioneer of rhythm, percussion, and global music fusion.