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Neil Peart

For the footballer, see Neil Peart (footballer).

Neil Peart
OC
Peart performing in 2008
Peart performing in 2008
Background information
Birth nameNeil Ellwood Peart
Also known asThe Professor, Bubba, Pratt
Born(1952-09-12)September 12, 1952
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
DiedJanuary 7, 2020(2020-01-07) (aged 67)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • author
Instrument(s)
  • Drums
  • percussion
Years active1968–2015
Labels
Formerly of
Websiteneilpeart.net

Signature

Peart's voice
On his time recording and performing for Rush

Neil Ellwood Peart OC (/pɪərt/ PEERT; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname 'The Professor',[2] derived from the Gilligan's Island character of the same name.[3] His drumming was renowned for its technical proficiency and his live performances for their exacting nature and stamina. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an induction into the Modern Drummer Readers Poll Hall of Fame in 1983 at the age of thirty, making him the youngest person ever so honoured.[4]

Peart was born in Hamilton, Ontario,[5] and grew up in Port Dalhousie (now part of St. Catharines). During adolescence, he floated between regional bands in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer. After a discouraging stint in England, Peart returned home to concentrate on music where he joined Rush, a Toronto band, in mid-1974, six years after its formation. Together they released nineteen studio albums, with ten exceeding a million copies sold in the United States. Billboard lists the band third in "most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band".[A]

Early in his career, Peart's performance style was deeply rooted in hard rock. He drew most of his inspiration from drummers such as Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, and John Bonham, players who at the time were at the forefront of the British hard rock scene.[7][8] As time passed, he began to emulate jazz and big band musicians Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. In 1994, Peart became a friend and pupil of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber.[9][10] It was during this time that Peart revamped his playing style by incorporating jazz and swing components.[8][11]

In addition to serving as Rush's primary lyricist, Peart published several memoirs about his travels. His lyrics for Rush addressed universal themes and diverse subjects including science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy, as well as secular, humanitarian, and libertarian themes. Peart wrote a total of seven nonfiction books focused on his travels and personal stories. He also coauthored with Kevin J. Anderson three steampunk fantasy novels based on Rush's final album, Clockwork Angels. The two also wrote a dark fantasy novella, Drumbeats, inspired by Peart's travels in Africa.

Peart announced his retirement from touring in an interview with Drumhead Magazine in December 2015.[12][13] In January 2018, bandmate Alex Lifeson confirmed that Rush had disbanded also due to Peart's health issues.[14][15] During his last years Peart lived in Santa Monica, California, with his wife, Carrie Nuttall, and daughter. After a three and a half year illness,[16] Peart died of glioblastoma on January 7, 2020, at age 67.[17]

  1. ^ Mover, Jonathan. "Matt Scannell On Neil Peart: No Rush". Drumhead. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  2. ^ Hiatt, Brian (January 10, 2020). "Neil Peart, Rush Drummer Who Set a New Standard for Rock Virtuosity, Dead at 67". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "Bubba and the Professor—Part 1 – Neil Peart". February 1, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Rush Drummer Neil Peart Passes". Modern Drummer. January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "Cancer claims Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart at 67". Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Petrusich was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Anatomy of a Drum Solo DVD, Neil Peart (2005); accompanying booklet. (Republished in Modern Drummer magazine, April 2006)
  8. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (May 1, 2006). "Neil Peart – Anatomy of a Drum Solo (Hudson Music)". Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  9. ^ "Neil Peart Biography". Archived from the original on October 21, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference A Work in Progress, Worldcat DVD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ BraveWords. "Neil Peart − Anatomy Of A Drum Solo". bravewords.com. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  12. ^ "Rush's Neil Peart says he's retired from music". Consequence of Sound. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  13. ^ "Rush's Geddy Lee Says Neil Peart Hasn't Retired". December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  14. ^ "'Rush' Guitarist Alex Lifeson: 'We Have No Plans To Tour Or Record Any More. We're Basically Done'". January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  15. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (January 22, 2018). "Rush Officially Breaks Up, Two Years After They Quit Touring". Uproxx. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  16. ^ "Neil Peart". Rush.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  17. ^ Hatt, Brian (January 10, 2020). "Neil Peart, Rush Drummer Who Set a New Standard for Rock Virtuosity, Dead at 67". RollingStone.com. Retrieved January 10, 2020.


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