Rush (band)

Rush
Rush promotional image with Lee, Peart, and Lifeson, standing left to right in black and white
Promotional image of the band in 1981 (left to right): Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson
Background information
Also known as
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
DiscographyRush discography
Years active1968–2015
Labels
Past members
Websiterush.com

Rush was a Canadian rock band that primarily comprised Geddy Lee (bass guitar, keyboards, vocals), Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart (drums, percussion, lyricist). The band formed in Toronto in 1968 with Lifeson, drummer John Rutsey, and bass guitarist/vocalist Jeff Jones, whom Lee immediately replaced. After Lee joined, the band went through several line-up changes before arriving at its classic power trio lineup with the addition of Peart in July 1974, who replaced Rutsey four months after the release of their self-titled debut album; this lineup remained intact for the remainder of the band's career.

Rush first achieved moderate success with their second album Fly by Night (1975). The commercial failure of their next album Caress of Steel, released seven months after Fly by Night, resulted in the band almost getting dropped from their then-record label Mercury Records. Rush's fourth album, 2112 (1976), reignited their popularity, becoming their first album to enter the top five on the Canadian charts. Their next two albums, A Farewell to Kings (1977) and Hemispheres (1978), were also successful, with the former becoming Rush's first to enter the UK charts. The band's popularity continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with albums charting highly in Canada, the US and the UK, including Permanent Waves (1980), Moving Pictures (1981), Signals (1982), Grace Under Pressure (1984), Roll the Bones (1991), Counterparts (1993) and Test for Echo (1996). Rush continued to record and perform until 1997, after which the band entered a four-year hiatus due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. The trio regrouped in 2001 and released three more studio albums: Vapor Trails (2002), Snakes & Arrows (2007), and Clockwork Angels (2012). Rush performed their last concerts in 2015, with Peart retiring from music later that year. Lifeson later commented in January 2018 that the band decided not to resume activity following the R40 Tour,[8][9] which was later cemented by Peart's death from glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, on January 7, 2020, at the age of 67.[10] Lee and Lifeson have continued to periodically work together since Peart's death, including performing at the 25th anniversary celebration of South Park and tributes to then-recently deceased Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022,[11][12] while tentative talks of a Rush reunion have ensued since 2023.[13]

Rush were known for their musicianship, complex compositions and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy and philosophy. The band's style changed over the years, from a blues-inspired hard rock beginning, later moving into progressive rock, then a period in the 1980s marked by heavy use of synthesizers, before returning to guitar-driven hard rock at the end of the 1980s. Clockwork Angels marked a return to progressive rock. The members of Rush have been acknowledged as some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each winning numerous awards in magazine readers' polls over the years.

As of 2022, Rush ranks 84th in the US with sales of 26 million albums[14] and industry sources estimate their total worldwide album sales at over 42 million. They have been awarded 14 platinum and 3 multi-platinum albums in the US,[15] plus 17 platinum albums in Canada. Rush were nominated for seven Grammy Awards,[16] won several Juno Awards, and won an International Achievement Award at the 2009 SOCAN Awards.[17] The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.[18][19]

  1. ^ Banasiewicz, Bill. "Rush – Visions: The Official Biography – Chapter 1". Archived from the original on February 11, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2007.
  2. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (June 19, 2017). "The Persistence of Prog Rock". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Hann, Michael (January 25, 2018). "Rush: a band who sparked the teenage imagination like few others". the Guardian. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Bowman, Durrell (2014). Experiencing Rush: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 29. ISBN 978-1442231306. ...Rush's hybrid of heavy metal, hard rock, and progressive rock.
  5. ^ McDonald, Chris (2009). Rush, Rock Music, and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown. Indiana University Press. pp. 74, 127. ISBN 978-0-253-22149-0. ...Rush's hard rock orientation... Rush's hard rock roots...
  6. ^ Bowman, Durrell; Berti, Jim (2011). Rush and Philosophy: The Heart and Mind United. Open Court Press. p. 287. ISBN 978-0812697162. Rush mainly demonstrates 'Canadianness' by combining such British and American influences as progressive rock, hard rock, and individualism.
  7. ^ Martin Melhuish (November 13, 1976). "Canadian Artists get Heavy Polydor Push". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 63–. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  8. ^ "RUSH Guitarist ALEX LIFESON: "We Have No Plans To Tour Or Record Anymore. We're Basically Done"". Blabbermouth. January 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  9. ^ Wheeler, Brad (January 16, 2018). "How the end of Rush let Alex Lifeson be 'as creative as I want to be'". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Hatt, Brian (January 7, 2020). "Neil Peart, Rush Drummer Who Set a New Standard for Rock Virtuosity, Dead at 67". RollingStone.com. Rolling Stone, LLC. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  11. ^ The surviving members of Rush reunite to perform Far Out Magazine. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  12. ^ Eli Enis (September 28, 2022). "See TOOL's Danny Carey Play "YYZ" With Rush Members at Taylor Hawkins Tribute Show". Revolver. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  13. ^ "Geddy Lee Confirms He and Alex Lifeson Talked About Continuing Rush With Another Drummer". Ultimate Guitar. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  14. ^ "RIAA – Top Selling Artists". RIAA. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  15. ^ "RIAA – Artist Tallies". RIAA. Archived from the original on July 29, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  16. ^ Krewen, Nick (September 5, 2012). "The Spirit of Rush". GRAMMY.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  17. ^ "2009 SOCAN AWARDS – TORONTO SHOW". SOCAN.ca. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference rockhall2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Rush joins Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". CBC News. April 18, 2013. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.