RUSH BAND MEMBERS
Name: GEDDY LEE
Real Name: Gary Lee Weinrib
Nick names: By-Tor, Dirk
Birthdate: July 29, 1953
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hometown: Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Band position: Bassist / Vocalist / Keyboardist
Geddy's gear: Bass guitars, classical guitars, twelve string guitar, occasional rhythm guitar, synthesizers: (mini moog, bass pedals, bass pedal synthesizer, moog taurus pedals, taurus pedal synthesizers, oberheim polyphonic, oberheim digital sequencer, OB-1, OB-X, OB-8, roland space echo,) and vocals
Started in the band: September 1968
Left band: May 1969
Returned to band: September 1969
Other bands: Ogilvie (Judd), The Geddy Lee Band
Accomplishments/Awards
Geddy is in the Bass Hall of Fame for Guitar Player Magazine
Has been voted Best Rock Bassist more than 6 times
Geddy won "best Rock Bass player" in the 1993 "Bass Player" readers' poll.
Personal Profile:
Geddy Lee was born July 29, 1953. Geddy's real name is Gary Lee Weinrib. He is currently married, has a son Julian & a daughter Kyla. Tennis and particularly baseball are Geddy's favorite. He has even expressed interest in running a minor league baseball team in the past. When the band is not touring, Geddy lives outside of Toronto.
Name: NEIL PEART
Real Name: Neil Ellwood Peart
Nick names: The Professor (on the drum kit), Pratt
Birthdate: September 12, 1952
Birthplace: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Hometown: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Band position: Percussionist / Lyricist
Neil's gear: Drums: (snare drums, bass drums, closed toms, concert toms, gong bass drums,) cymbals: (ride cymbals, crash cymbals, hi-hat cymbals, special effect cymbals,) acoustic percussion: (orchestra bells, tubular bells, temple blocks, melodic cowbells, wind chimes, bell-tree, triangle, vibra-slap, tympani, gong, burma bell, crotales, timbales, glockenspiel, plywood, hammer dulcimer,) and electronic percussion.
Started in band: July 29, 1974
Other bands: Mumblin' Sumthin', The Majority, J.R.Flood, Seventh Wave, Eternal Triangle, Hush
Neil's Award Achievements in the "Modern Drummer" magazine reader's poll:
Voted to Modern Drummer Hall of Fame: 1983
Best Rock Drummer: 1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985
Best Multi-Percussionist: 1983,1984,1985,1986
Best Percussion Instrumentalist: 1982
Most Promising New Drummer: 1980
Best All Around: 1986
Best Recorded Performance:
1981: Moving Pictures
1982: Exit... Stage Left
1983: Signals
1985: Grace Under Pressure
1986: Power Windows
1988: Hold Your Fire
1989: A Show of Hands
1990: Presto
1992: Roll The Bones
1993: Counterparts
1986 Honor Roll: Rock Drummer, Multi-Percussion
As a member of the Honor Roll in these categories, Neil is no longer eligible for votes in the above categories.
Personal Profile
Neil Peart was born September 12, 1952. He took up drumming when he was 13 years old and received professional drum lessons for his birthday. Originally inspired by the agressive drumming oflate Keith Moon, he is also influenced by the likes of Carl Palmer and Bill Bruford.
Neil grew up near Toronto and played in a series of high school bands before moving to London during the early 70's in order to try and further his musical career. While there he worked as aat a shop called The Great Frog in the tourist district of Carnaby Street. Disillusioned by the British music scene he later returned to Canada where he eventually hooked up with Geddy and Alex. He became a member of Rush on July 29, 1974.
Neil likes to read and his lyrical influences stem from some of his literary heroes - Ernest Hemmingway, John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dos Passos, Barth, Rand, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Neil has also written articles and editorials, and in 1994 coauthored a short story "Drumbeats" with Kevin J. Anderson for the horror anthology Shock Rock II. Neil's only child Selena died in a tragic car crash in August 1997. His wife Jacqueline died of cancer in July 1998.
Name: ALEX LIFESON
Real Name: Alexander Zivojinovich
Nick names: Snow dog, Lerxst, King Lerxst
Birthdate: August 27, 1953
Birthplace: Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
Hometown: Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Band position: Guitarist / Backing Vocalist
Alex's gear: Guitars: (6 and 12 stringed acoustic and electric guitars, classical guitars, mandola) synthesizers: (bass pedals, bass pedal synthesizer, moog taurus pedals, taurus pedal synthesizers, roland guitar synthezizer,) and backing vocals.
Started in the band: Spring 1968 (Founding Member)
Other bands: Victor
Accomplisments/Awards:
Alex won Best Rock Talent in 1983 (Guitar for the Practicing Musician)
Inducted into the Guitar for the Practicing Musician Hall of Fame (May 1991)
Personal Profile:
Alex Lifeson was born on August 27, 1953, in the mountain fishing port of Fernie, British Columbia. Alex's real name is Alex Zivojinovic. He started playing guitar when he was 12, having previously made an unsuccessful attempt at trying to learn viola. His first six-string was a Kent classical acoustic, which his father bought him as a Christmas present. A year later Alex acquired a $59 Japanese electric model.
His early guitar influences are Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page. He was basically self-taught as a guitarist. His only formal training was during Rush's early days on the Toronto club circuit.
"A friend I went to school with taught classical guitar," Alex recalls. "He was a very good teacher and I studied with him for about a year and a half. That started around 1971, but then one day he was in a motorcycle accident and had to go to hospital, so the lessons kind of fell off. Also, we'd started to play in clubs a lot more, so I wouldn't really have had the time to keep them up anyway." The contemporary guitarists whom Alex admires include Paco De Lucia, Allan Holdsworth, Edward Van Halen, Andy Summers and Rory Gallagher. He is currently married and has two sons, Justin and Adrian. When not on tour, he also spends time flying, and is in fact, a licensed pilot. He also has a strong reputation in the group as a gourmet cook.
He released a solo album titled "Victor" in January 1996. Click here to go to the Victor home page.
Alex Lifeson on himself: I started playing when I was about 11 years old. I begged for a guitar for Christmas, and got an $11 Kent acoustic--it was just terrible, but my parents still have it [laughs]. Then the following Christmas my parents bought me a Cenora, which sort of looked like a Gretch Country Gentleman. Both were inexpensive, poorly Japanese guitars. I borrowed the guy-next-door's Paul amp whenever I could, and taped "Vox" in black tape on the front of it [laughs]. I played for hours and hours and hours.
FORMER BAND MEMBERS
Name: JOHN RUTSEY
Real Name: John Howard Rutsey
Birthdate: 1953
Deathdate: May 11, 2008
Band position: Drums and backing vocals
Started in the band: Spring 1968 (Founding Member)
Left band: July 1974
Personal Profile: John founded the band with Alex. He played drums until 1974. When Rush was starting to get famous, his ideas of the future of the band were different from Geddy and Alex's ideas. He had diabetes, which was a problem if they went on extended tours. He also just wasn't excited about playing in the band anymore. He quit the band. He tried to get another band going but he wasn't successful. He quit drums altogether and became a body builder. Alex used to see John at a local Toronto gym throughout the 1980s, but had quit seeing him around 1990. John Rutsey died in his sleep from a heart attack on May 11, 2008. The heart attack was related to his complications with diabetes .
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Name: JEFF JONES
Band position: Lead vocals and bass
Started in the band: August 1968
Left band: September 1968
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Name: LINDY YOUNG
Band position: Keyboards, rhythm guitars, and backing vocals
Started in the band: January 1969
Left band: July 1969
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Name: JOE PERNA
Band position: Lead vocals and bass
Started in the band: May 1969
Left band: July 1969
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Name: MITCH BOSSI
Band position: Rhythm guitars and backing vocals
Started in the band: February 1971
Left band: May 1971
LINE-UPS
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The Projection: Spring 1968 - August 1968
Alex Lifeson: guitars
John Rutsey: drums
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Rush: August 1968 - September 1968
Jeff Jones: lead vocals and bass
Alex Lifeson: guitars and backing vocals
John Rutsey: drums and backing vocals
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Rush: September 1968 - January 1969
Geddy Lee: lead vocals and bass
Alex Lifeson: guitars and backing vocals
John Rutsey: drums and backing vocals
After Jeff Jones left the band, Alex called up his good friend Geddy Lee. Geddy thought Alex was calling to borrow his amp. Alex was really calling to let Geddy in the band
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Hadrian: January 1969 - May 1969
Geddy Lee: lead vocals and bass
Alex Lifeson: lead guitars and backing vocals
Lindy Young: keyboards, rhythm guitars, and backing vocals
John Rutsey: drums and backing vocals
Keyboardist Lindy Young was added to the line-up. They changed from Rush to Hadrian
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Hadrian: May 1969 - July 1969
Joe Perna: lead vocals and bass
Alex Lifeson: lead guitars and backing vocals
Lindy Young: keyboards, rhythm guitars, and backing vocals
John Rutsey: drums and backing vocals
Geddy Lee left to form his band Ogilvie (later called Judd.) He was replaced by Joe Perna.
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Rush: September 1969 - February 1971
Geddy Lee: lead vocals and bass
Alex Lifeson: guitars and backing vocals
John Rutsey: drums and backing vocals
Lindy left Hadrian to join Judd. Hadrian broke up. Judd broke up later on. Rush was reformed by Geddy, Alex, and John.
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Rush: February 1971 - May 1971
Geddy Lee: lead vocals and bass
Alex Lifeson: lead guitars and backing vocals
Mitch Bossi: rhythm guitars and backing vocals
John Rutsey: drums and backing vocals
Rhythm guitarist Mitch Bossi was added to the line-up.
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Rush: May 1971 - July 1974
Geddy Lee: lead vocals and bass
Alex Lifeson: guitars and backing vocals
John Rutsey: drums and backing vocals
Mitch Bossi left the band. Rush got ready to record their first album.
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Rush: July 29, 1974 - Present
Geddy Lee: lead vocals, synthesizers, and bass
Alex Lifeson: guitars, bass pedals, and backing vocals
John Rutsey: drums and percussion
John left due to health reasons. He was replaced by percussionist Neil Peart.
