RUSH

1
RUSH
Canadas most influential and successful rock
group. By Jacob Bersch Information from
www.rush.com and www.erikandanna.com
2
How it all Began

• Started in the spring of 1968 in Willowdale,
  Toronto by Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey. It was
  not until 1971 that the band had a concrete name
  and a stable set of members.
• In late summer of 1968, Jeff Jones was
  recruited and the band started performing live.
• Geddy Lee replaced Jeff later that year, and
  early in the year 1969, Lindy Young also provided
  her talent to the group.
• In the summer of 1969, Lee dropped out and
  formed his own band. Not far behind was Young
  who left shortly after to join Lee. Unable to
  keep any talent, Lifeson and Rutsey split up.
• The following fall, Lees band also broke up.
  Almost immediately after, Lifeson, Rutsey, and
  Lee joined up and Rush was born.

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Struggling to Make It

• Becoming a musical success was very tough in
  Canada. The kind of music that rush was
  creating, the type of rock they produced, was not
  looked upon favorably by the record companies.
• Since no one was willing to take the gamble on
  Rush, they had to make their own record company
  in order to produce their music. They called it
  Moon Records
• In 1973, Rush produced its first single on
  side A was Not Fade Away and on side B was You
  Cant Fight It. It was only sold in Toronto and
  some other parts of Canada. The band stayed
  vastly unknown.
• In 1974, Rush released their first album,
  Rush. They then went on tour in Canada, trying
  to spread their popularity. Their efforts were
  in vain, however, because outside of Toronto and
  other places in Canada, no one even heard of Rush.

4
The Big Break

• One copy of Rush made its way out of Canada
  down to Cleveland where it was heard by a DJ
  named Donna Halper she liked what he heard and
  played it on the radio. Many people thought that
  it was a new album from Led Zepplin, since the
  music sounded so similar to them. Zepplin is
  where, consequently, Rush got a lot of its first
  inspiration and style from.
• The demand for the album increased, and Halper
  asked for more copies so she could give them to
  record shops. These copies sold out in no time,
  and Rush became greatly liked and sought after in
  the US.
• A record company called Mercury Records heard
  the album and liked what they heard, so they
  re-released Rush world-wide. Rush became known
  across the globe, but became especially popular
  in the US.

5
Change

• Before going on tour in the US, John Rutsey
  left the band for personal reasons, including his
  struggle with diabetes and feelings for what the
  future of the band was.
• Auditions were held, and a new drummer was
  found in the form of Neil Pert. He was found to
  be exceptionally skilled at the drums, and also
  had a talent for writing lyrics. This group of
  people would live on to be the permanent members
  of Rush.
• It was during this time that Rush developed a
  unique style very different from any other band
  at the time. They were unique in every way, from
  the sound of Lees voice, the very deep and
  complex lyrics from neil, and the very different
  sound created by the infinite instruments used by
  everyone in the very talented and versatile group.

6
Personals

• Geddy Lee
• Real name Gary Lee Weinrib
• Born July 29th, 1953
• Bassman, keyboardist, uses synthesizers, and is
  lead vocalist
• Married with two children
• Is in Bass Hall of Fame for Guitar Player
  Magazine, has been voted Best Rock Bassist
  multiple times, and has won Best Rock Bass
  Player in the 1993 Bass Player readers poll.

7

• Alex Lifeson
• Real name Alex Zivojinovich
• Born August 27th, 1953
• Electric and Acoustic guitarist, backing
  vocalist
• Married with two children
• Has won "Best Rock Talent" from Guitar For The
  Practicing Musician and is also in their hall of
  fame.
• Produced a solo album called Victor
• Owns a restaurant in Toronto The Orbit Room

8

• Neil Pert
• Born September 12, 1952
• Plays drums and symbols
• Heart and soul of Rush since he writes most of
  the lyrics.
• Voted into Modern Drummers Hall of Fame in
  1983. He also won multiple titles such as Best
  Rock Drummer and Best Multi-Percussionist from
  Modern Drummer.
• Lost his daughter to a car accident and lost
  his wife to cancer
• Gets inspiration from his travels and a book he
  read in England, The Fountainhead.

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Discography

• Power Windows 1985
• Hold Your Fire 1987
• A Show of Hands 1988
• Presto 1989
• Chronicles 1990
• Roll the Bones 1991
• Counterparts 1993
• Test for Echo 1996
• Retrospective I May 1997
• Retrospective II June 1997
• Different Stages 1998
• Vapor Trails 2002
• The Spirit of Radio 2003
• Rush in Rio - 2003

• Rush 1974
• Fly by Night February 1975
• Caress of Stell September 1975
• 2112 February 1976
• All the Worlds a Stage September 1976
• A Farewell to Kings 1977
• Archives April 1978
• Hemispheres October 1978
• Permanent Waves 1980
• Moving Pictures January 1981
• Exit Stage Left October 1981
• Signals 1982
• Grace Under Pressure 1984

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Awards/Accomplishments

• Juno Awards
• Most promising group of the year 1974
• Group of the year 1977,1978
• Best Heavy Metal Album 1991
• Best album cover 1991,1992
• Best Hard Rock Album 1992
• Hall of Fame 1993

• Others
• Was runner up in the Grammy Awards for Best
  Rock Instrumental.
• Have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall
  of Fame for their huge influence not only in
  Canada but throughout the world.

11
Not Quite the End
Rush is still making music. They have just
finished a tour in Rio and might start work on a
new album. They are truly an inspiring and still
successful band Canadas best.