Since I was a kid I have been a HUGE fan of RUSH. In the 80's before Hip Hop had took a impact in CO I was listening to a lot of Metal and Rock N Roll, but there was something about RUSH that blew my mind. From there lyrics, style of music, transitions and one of the sickest drummers in the world Neil Peart feeding my ear drums with amazing drumming styles. Now in 2010 Neil stated that when they perform live, if he plays all his songs exactly how he played it years ago, he had a good night lol. not even the Neil of 2010 can play as good as the Neil back in the day. Back in the day I played drums as a youth and try to now when I have time. I started out at 8 years of age with the conga drum, since then I have turned to experience different instruments. Led Zep is also another one of my fav bands, but now a days it's who I can reate to. Here is short bio about the band members, I am sure you can find them any where on the web, but I encourage the youth of today to do there home work on RUSH, this was and stillis the real way music should be created. I have tons of musical inspirations and one of them is RUSH. Enjoy
*Lead Vocals*
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.
*Lead Guitar*
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.
*The Master behind it all Lead Drummer*
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.
Check out RUSH LIVE video below,check out there live sessions.
RUSH Web Site
