Hart's concept for Planet Drum was to play drum music with percussionists from around the world, and incorporate their different musical styles and traditions into a new global sound. The musicians on the Planet Drum album were from the United States (Hart), India (Zakir Hussain and T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram), Nigeria (Sikiru Adepoju and Babatunde Olatunji), Brazil (Airto Moreira and his wife, vocalist Flora Purim), and Puerto Rico (Giovanni Hidalgo and Frank Colón).

Planet Drum won the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album of 1991, the first year for which the award was given. It reached number 1 on the Billboard chart for Top World Music Albums.

Hart also wrote a book called Planet Drum: A Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm, co-written by Fredric Lieberman and D.A. Sonneborn. The book explores the role of drumming in the musical, cultural, and spiritual traditions of different cultures. It was first published in 1991, the same year that the Planet Drum album was released, and has the same cover illustration by Nancy Nimoy.

Since Planet Drum was released, Mickey Hart has sometimes toured with many of the same musicians who played on the album, performing live concerts. This ensemble is also called Planet Drum.

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