Grant Hart

Grant Hart was born in South St. Paul, Minnesota, the youngest child of a credit union employee and a shop teacher. Hart described his family as a "typical American dysfunctional family [...] Not very abusive, though. Nothing really to complain about."Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991. Little Brown and Company, 2001. {{ISBN|0-316-78753-1}}, pg. 160 When Hart was 10, his older brother was killed by a drunk driver.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grant-hart-husker-du-drummer-and-singer-dead-at-56-w501508 |title=Grant Hart, Husker Du Drummer and Singer, Dead at 56 |author=Kreps, Daniel |date=September 14, 2017 |access-date=September 14, 2017 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} Hart inherited his brother's drum set and records; he soon began playing in a number of makeshift bands as a teenager. {{cn|date=November 2024}}

Hart met Bob Mould while working at a record store called Cheapo Records in St. Paul, Minnesota.{{Cite magazine|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=September 14, 2017|title=Grant Hart, Husker Du Drummer and Singer, Dead at 56|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grant-hart-husker-du-drummer-and-singer-dead-at-56-196792/|access-date=October 14, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}} Mould, then a college freshman, would buy marijuana from Hart. At first Hart dismissed Mould as "an upstater pretending to be a Manhattanite," but the two soon became friends.Azerrad, pg. 161

{{main|Hüsker Dü}}

Hart formed Hüsker Dü in 1979 with Bob Mould and his friend Greg Norton. The band's early material had them lumped in with the hardcore movement of the early 1980s. The band members received help from their parents in their early days. In Hart's case, his mother let him use the copier machine at the credit union where she worked to make show flyers,Azerrad, pg. 163 and the band added $2,000 to an existing loan at the credit union to release the band's first single, "Statues," on their own label Reflex Records in 1981.Azerrad, pg. 164 Success existed on a small scale for the band; by 1982 Hart was unemployed and relied on support from friends and family.Azerrad, pg. 167

File:Bass drum used by Grant Hart.jpg Company in the late 1950s, the head has handwritten lyrics to the song "Diane" from the 1983 album Metal Circus.]]Hüsker Dü's music became more accomplished and melodic over time. By late 1982, Hart's drumming "rushed the music along more precisely than ever" and he and Mould, who traded vocal duties, were singing more tunefully.Azerrad, pg. 171 While Mould was the band's primary songwriter, Hart began writing more songs. Hart wrote two songs for 1983's Metal Circus EP, the "perversely sing-along" "Diane" and "It's Not Funny Anymore." Hüsker Dü's more melodic take on hardcore struck a chord with college students, and various tracks from Metal Circus, particularly Hart's "Diane," were put into rotation by dozens of campus radio stations across the US.Azerrad, pg. 173 Hart was tagged by observers as the "hippie" of the group due to his long hair and his propensity to drum with bare feet; biographer Michael Azerrad additionally noted that "the wide-eyed sincerity of his songs was far more San Francisco '67 than New York City '77," which contrasted with Mould's "incisively bitter" songs.Azerrad, pg. 176

As Hart and Mould developed as musicians and songwriters, an unspoken tension and competition arose in the band between them.Azerrad, pg. 177 Tensions were heightened when Mould demanded, starting with 1984's Zen Arcade, that the band's records contain individual songwriter credits.Azerrad, pg. 181 In spite of the creative tensions, Hüsker Dü garnered critical acclaim with the release of Zen Arcade and subsequent albums. Michael Azerrad stated that by 1985's Flip Your Wig "the two songwriters were trying their level best to outdo each other, and with spectacular results".Azerrad, pg. 189 Hüsker Dü had left the hardcore genre behind, which caused some discomfort with their label at the time, SST Records. In one interview, Hart hinted that SST thought Hüsker Dü were "soft" because they stayed in motels while touring and occasionally wrote happy songs. Hart elaborated, "We don't have to convince the world that we're suffering to convince them that we're artists... There's nothing wrong with being happy."Azerrad, pg. 187

Hart designed most of Hüsker Dü's album covers, as well as the album cover for The Replacements' Hootenanny.{{cite news |title=Grant Hart, Hüsker Dü Drummer and Singer, Dies at 56 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/arts/music/grant-hart-husker-du-drummer-dies.html |author=Bromwich, Jonah Engel |date=September 14, 2017 |access-date=September 14, 2017 |newspaper=The New York Times}}{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/1857976-Fake-Name-Communications |title=Fake Name Communications |work=Discogs |access-date=January 30, 2021}}

In 1986, Hüsker Dü became one of the first key bands from the American indie scene to sign with a major label, inking a deal with Warner Bros. Records.Azerrad, pg. 190 However, tensions within the band worsened after signing the deal. Hart became addicted to heroin following the band's tour behind their major label debut, Candy Apple Grey, in 1986; he was also (incorrectly) diagnosed as HIV-positive in the middle of that year. Mould and Hart were feuding openly with Hart accusing Mould of ensuring he could not have more than 45 percent of the songs on each of the band's albums.Azerrad, pg. 192

The band dissolved after a show in Columbia, Missouri, in 1987. Hart was trying to quit heroin by using a supply of methadone, but the bottle had leaked. Hart played the show, but Mould and Norton were concerned that Hart would soon be suffering from withdrawal and thus would be unable to play the next few shows. While Hart insisted he could perform, Mould had already canceled the dates. Hart has said his drug use was not the reason for the band's demise; rather, it was the tensions between the band members. Hart said, "It just became that it was easier to be around Bob if you were playing a part of Bob's game," and also said he felt Mould's songs had become increasingly "square."Azerrad, pg. 194

Although it was often rumored during his Hüsker Dü days that he and bandmate Mould were in a relationship (Hart was openly bisexual, Mould is openly gay, and both acknowledge taking partners on tour), both have flatly denied ever having been romantically involved.{{cite news |last=Klein |first=Joshua |url=https://www.avclub.com/grant-hart-1798208091 |title=Grant Hart |newspaper=The A.V. Club |access-date=October 17, 2011}}

Six months after Hüsker Dü's breakup, Hart discovered that his diagnosis as being HIV-positive was incorrect.Azerrad, pg. 195 In 1988, he released the solo EP, 2541, on Hüsker Dü's former label SST. The title is taken from the address of his former band's office and rehearsal house, where the members had at one time lived. Marshall Crenshaw would later cover the title song, as would the Go-Betweens' Robert Forster.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6K6l38haOK4C&pg=PT225 |pages=211–212 |author=Earles, Andrew |title=Husker Du: The Story of the Noise-Pop Pioneers Who Launched Modern Rock |date=November 15, 2010 |access-date=September 14, 2017 |publisher=MBI Publishing|isbn=9781616739799 }} After the release of the EP, Hart went further into sobriety, recording and releasing the album Intolerance and the associated EP, All of My Senses, in 1989 and 1990, respectively.{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/us/artist/grant-hart/13489345 |title=Grant Hart |access-date=September 14, 2017 |publisher=Apple Music}}

In late 1989, he formed a new band, Nova Mob, with Michael Crego on drums, Tom Merkl on bass, and Hart himself taking guitar duties. The band took their name from the novel Nova Express by William Burroughs; it had previously been used by an unrecorded group featuring the young Julian Cope and Pete Wylie.{{cite web |url=http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Grant-Hart-Rock.html |title=Grant Hart (rock) Biography |publisher=OLDIES.com |access-date=October 17, 2011}} The band released their first EP, Admiral of the Sea, and album, The Last Days of Pompeii, in 1991. The lineup later changed with Marc Retish and then Steve Sutherland on drums, and Chris Hesler on lead guitar. The band routinely toured Europe to warm reception.{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nova-mob/413067430 |title=Nova Mob |access-date=September 14, 2017 |publisher=Apple Music}} Nova Mob released their second album, Nova Mob, in 1994, and disbanded after a supporting tour.

File:Grant Hart - First Avenue Star.jpg

Hart returned to recording as a solo artist with the release of the live album Ecce Homo in 1995, and later released Good News for Modern Man in late 1999. On October 21, 2004, he and Mould reunited at the benefit concert for Karl Mueller (bassist for fellow Minneapolis stalwarts Soul Asylum), who was then fighting what would turn out to be a losing battle with cancer.

Hart recorded his next solo album (and first in a decade), Hot Wax, in Montreal and Minneapolis. Hart told Britain's Q in September 2006, "I'm working on some stuff with the Godspeed You! Black Emperor people. They've given more of themselves in a few weeks than Bob did in nine years with Hüsker Dü."Q, October 2006 In 2008, Hart was one of the guest singers on Lotuk, the third album of Arsenal, a Belgian band combining roots and dance music.{{cite web |title=RIP Grant Hart |author=Stiers, Didier |date=September 14, 2017 |url=http://blog.lesoir.be/frontstage/2017/09/14/rip-grant-hart/ |publisher=LeSoir.be}} In the summer of 2008, Hart debuted a new track, "Schoolbuses Are For Children," on his Myspace site.{{cite web |title=Grant Hart |url=https://myspace.com/granthart2541/music/songs |publisher=MySpace |access-date=September 14, 2017}}{{Primary source inline|date=April 2024}}{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} He released Hot Wax on October 6, 2009. Intolerance was reissued on February 9, 2010, on 180-gram vinyl, and The Last Days of Pompeii was reissued with extra tracks and new mastering on December 7, 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.cargo-records.de/en/label/CON%20D%27OR/labeldetails.140.html |title=CON D'OR |access-date=September 14, 2017 |publisher=Cargo Records Germany GmbH}}

In December 2012, Hart embarked on a short tour of Ireland with a new lineup:[http://www.limerickpost.ie/index.php/navigation-mainmenu-30/entertainment/5273-flip-your-wig-its-grant-hart.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223061403/http://www.limerickpost.ie/index.php/navigation-mainmenu-30/entertainment/5273-flip-your-wig-its-grant-hart.html|date=December 23, 2012}} Colm O' Herlihy on guitar, Dan Walsh on drums and Simon Dargan on bass.{{cite web |url=http://wearenoise.com/index.php/2012/12/grant-hart-cyprus-avenue-cork-17-12-12/ |title=Grant Hart – Cyprus Avenue, Cork, 17.12.12 | Noise |publisher=Wearenoise.com |date=December 19, 2012 |access-date=July 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412034311/http://wearenoise.com/index.php/2012/12/grant-hart-cyprus-avenue-cork-17-12-12/ |archive-date=April 12, 2013 }} In a Facebook Q&A, Hart commented: "I love playing with these guys. They let me make music rather than getting bogged down administrating a band's business. They make it a joy with their self-starting ways".{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grant-Hart/356067441965?fref=ts |title=Grant Hart |via=Facebook |access-date=July 22, 2013}}{{Primary source inline|date=April 2024}} He confirmed this lineup for the following European and USA dates.{{cite news |url=http://www.limerickpost.ie/2012/12/07/flip-your-wig-its-grant-hart/ |work=Limerick Post |title=Flip your wig, its Grant Hart! |date=December 7, 2012 |access-date=September 14, 2017}}

Hart released the double album The Argument (based on John Milton's Paradise Lost) in the summer of 2013. In October 2013, documentary filmmaker Gorman Bechard released Every Everything: The Music, Life & Times of Grant Hart, a film about Hart which chronicles the musician's life from birth to the recording of The Argument. Told in the style of the Errol Morris film The Fog of War, Hart is the only interview subject in the film.{{cite news |title=Hüsker Dü's Grant Hart gets the documentary treatment |url=http://www.citypages.com/music/handuumlsker-danduumls-grant-hart-gets-the-documentary-treatment-6756226 |author=Gerstenzang, Peter |date=March 28, 2012 |access-date=September 14, 2017 |newspaper=City Pages}}

Hart has been honored with two stars on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,{{cite web |url=http://first-avenue.com/about/thestars |title=The Stars |author= |website=First Avenue & 7th Street Entry |access-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418135117/https://first-avenue.com/about/thestars |url-status=dead }} one for his solo work and one for Hüsker Dü. The stars recognize performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.{{cite news |last=Bream |first=Jon |url=https://www.startribune.com/10-things-you-ll-learn-about-first-avenue-in-new-minnesota-history-center-show/509374312/ |title=10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show |work=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN |date=May 3, 2019 |access-date=May 10, 2020}} Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.{{cite news |last=Marsh |first=Steve |url=http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/first-avenue-star-wall/ |title=First Avenue's Star Wall |work=Mpls.St.Paul Magazine |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN |date=May 13, 2019 |access-date=May 10, 2020}}

In tribute to Grant Hart and his work with Hüsker Dü, the Posies recorded a song entitled "Grant Hart" which was released on their 1996 album, Amazing Disgrace.

Hart married Brigid McGough Hart on July 5, 2017, at Church of the Assumption in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In January 2011, Hart suffered a house fire in which it "caught fire and burned to the ground." And to exacerbate his troubles even further, his mother died a month later, which Hart claimed "for reasons that a rich man would sue for malpractice."{{cite web | url=https://www.westword.com/music/grant-hart-contemplates-his-losses-and-the-stories-behind-his-music-5113153 | title=Grant Hart contemplates his losses and the stories behind his music }}

Hart died on September 13, 2017, at 9:02 pm, at Fairview University of Minnesota Hospital, of complications from liver cancer and hepatitis C.Cause of death in: {{cite news |title=Remembering Grant Hart, 1961-2017 |date=September 20, 2017 |author=Lunney, Tigger |url=http://www.citypages.com/music/remembering-grant-hart-1961-2017/445840373 |newspaper=City Pages |access-date=September 23, 2017}} He was 56 years old. He is survived by his wife, Brigid McGough Hart, and son, Karl Turbenson.{{cn|date=November 2022}}

;Studio albums{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/grant-hart-mn0000660569/discography |access-date=September 14, 2017 |title=Grant Hart |website=AllMusic}}

• Intolerance (1989, SST)
• Good News for Modern Man (1999, Pachyderm)
• Hot Wax (2009, Con d'Or{{cite web |url=http://www.granthart.com/news.htm |title=Grant Hart News |publisher=Granthart.com |access-date=October 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124210106/http://www.granthart.com/news.htm |archive-date=January 24, 2013 }})
• The Argument (2013, Domino)

;Live albums

• Ecce Homo (1995, World Service)

;Compilation albums

• Oeuvrevue (2010, Hazelwood)

; EPs

• 2541 (1988, SST)
• All of My Senses (1990, SST)

; Singles

• "Nobody Rides For Free" (2000, Pachyderm)
• "You're The Reflection" (2010, Amphetamine Reptile)
• "So Far From Heaven" (2011, Con D'Or)
• "Is The Sky The Limit?" (2013, Domino)

{{see also|Hüsker Dü discography}}

;Nova Mob albums{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nova-mob-mn0000459620 |access-date=September 14, 2017 |title=Nova Mob |website=AllMusic}}

• The Last Days of Pompeii (1991, Rough Trade)
• Nova Mob (1994, Restless, World Service)

;Nova Mob EPs

• Admiral of the Sea (1991, Rough Trade)
• Shoot (1992, Big Store){{cite web |url=http://www.thirdav.com/hd_discog/01_commercial.html |access-date=September 14, 2017 |title=Commercial Releases |publisher=ThirdAv}}

;Nova Mob singles

• "Evergreen Memorial Drive" (1992, Blackbox Records){{cite web |url=http://www.45cat.com/45_search.php?sq=nova+mob&sm=se |access-date=February 27, 2018|title=Nova Mob |publisher=45cat}}
• "Shoot Your Way to Freedom" (1992, Big Store, Tontine Records)
• "Old Empire" (1994, World Service){{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Nova-Mob-Old-Empire/release/2609865 |access-date=February 28, 2018 |title=Old Empire |work=Discogs}}

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