Grant Hart

Grant Hart
Hart performing in 2005 at the Metro Club in London
Hart performing in 2005 at the Metro Club in London
Background information
Birth nameGrant[1] Vernon Hart[2]
Born(1961-03-18)March 18, 1961
South Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedSeptember 13, 2017(2017-09-13) (aged 56)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Drums
  • guitar
  • vocals
Years active1979–2017
Formerly of
Websitegranthart.com

Grant Vernon Hart (March 18, 1961 – September 13, 2017)[3] was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the punk rock band Hüsker Dü. After the band's breakup in 1988, he released his first solo album Intolerance before forming the alternative rock trio Nova Mob, where he moved to vocals and guitar. His solo career became his main focus after the dissolution of Nova Mob in 1997.

As the co-songwriter of Hüsker Dü, Hart's songs (such as "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" and "Turn on the News") received praise from critics and contemporaries. His vocal style, in contrast to that of Hüsker Dü bandmate Bob Mould, had a more measured and melodic delivery. His choice of lyrical themes, which ranged from teenage alienation in "Standing by the Sea" and the depiction of a murder in "Diane," to playful story-telling in "Books About UFOs," helped to expand the subject matter of hardcore punk.

Hart died on September 13, 2017, of complications from liver cancer and hepatitis C.[4][5]

  1. ^ Birth Certificate
  2. ^ Riemenschneider, Chris (September 14, 2017). "Hüsker Dü co-leader Grant Hart, 56, dies of cancer". Star Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Grant Hart > Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
  4. ^ Kreps, Daniel. "Grant Hart, Husker Du Drummer and Singer, Dead at 56". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  5. ^ "Husker Du co-founder Grant Hart dies". BBC. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2020.