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Fredric Lieberman (1940-2013) received his B.M. from the Eastman School of Music, his M.A. from the University of Hawaii, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was a performer, composer, writer, and teacher at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His written works include "Planet Drum: A Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm", and "Drumming at the Edge of Magic: A Journey into the Spirit of Percussion".

Lieberman's interests included organology, particularly with regard to taxonomic methods and systematic description, the musics of China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and South India, and American vernacular musics from Tin Pan Alley through contemporary rock. His taught courses on American Popular Music and World Musics. He had an especially keen interest in the music of John Cage and of the Grateful Dead and served as an ethnomusicological consultant for various Mickey Hart projects.