Rush (band)

Yes, they are, finally. It took many years (and many letters, petitions, phone calls, etc. from loyal fans), but at long last, in 2012, it was announced that Rush had been voted in. In April 2013, the ceremony was held in Los Angeles (I was privileged to be there), and Rush finally received the honor that had been denied them for far too long.

No, you may be thinking of John Rutsey, who was the first drummer with Rush. He died in 2008. But the current drummer, Neil Peart, has been with the band since 1974 and is very much alive and well.

It's not so much that they fired him; things were not working out for several reasons. For one, John was not healthy-- he had severe diabetes and back then, that meant frequent trips to the hospital or being very careful about where you went and what you did. Plus, being young, he did not follow the diet his doctors recommended, and that further complicated his health. The other two members of Rush (Alex and Geddy) really wanted to be a touring band, and when I discovered them in mid-1974, they had already made the decision that they needed someone who could go on the road-- which John's health would not have permitted.

Further, even then, the band wanted to move in a different musical direction and not just be a "bar band." They were seeking someone to help take Rush to the next level, and that led to hiring Neil Peart. Severing ties with John Rutsey was difficult, but the decision was made that this would be best for all concerned.

Zero

While this question may seem sarcastic, people who were not familiar with the Canadian rock band Rush sometimes wondered about the lead singer: Geddy Lee is in fact a man (real name Gary Lee Weinrib), but his high-pitched voice was sometimes mistaken for that of a lady, especially in the band's early years.

Alex Lifeson

It's a comedy bit, in which the guys from Rush play the members of a polka band named Rash. This comedy bit was first seen in a video that was shown at the beginning of Rush's concerts, during the 2010 Time Machine tour. It was another example of how the band incorporated humor and satire into their shows.

Canadian guitarist Alex Lifeson is 64 years old (birthdate: August 27, 1953).

On New Year's Eve 2003, Alex and his son were involved in an altercation at a night club in Florida, and they spent a night in jail. There were conflicting reports about what happened: Alex and his son had been drinking and, as they saw it, they were just having fun and being a little rowdy. They believe the police and club security over-reacted. The police saw it differently, believing Alex and his son were creating a disturbance and when they refused to calm down, the police had to tase them. In the end, the case was settled with a plea deal, and neither Alex nor his son served any jail time. But to this day, Alex believes he and his son were treated unfairly and that the entire situation should have been handled much differently.

The members of the original version of Rush got together in their teenage years, in the summer of 1968, while living in the same neighborhood; they were residents of Willowdale, which was part of greater Toronto. At that time, the founding members were Alex Lifeson (guitar), Jeff Jones (vocals and bass), and John Rutsey (drums). But several weeks after they formed into a band, Jones decided to leave. He was replaced by Geddy Lee, a schoolmate and friend of Alex Lifeson.

I get 171 (counting 2112's 7 parts as separate songs):

Rush 8

Fly by Night 8

Caress of Steel 5

2112 12 (2112 - 7 parts)

A Farewell to Kings 6

Hemispheres 4

Permanent Waves 6

Moving Pictures 7

Signals 8

Grace Under Pressure 8

Power Windows 8

Hold Your Fire 10

Presto 11

Roll the Bones 10

Counterparts 11

Test for Echo 11

Vapor Trails 13

Snakes & Arrows 13

Clockwork Angels 12

Geddy Lee married his long-time girlfriend Nancy Young in 1976, and they are the parents of a son and a daughter.

Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and John Rutsey were high school friends, who had a passion for rock and roll. So they form the band Rush in August 1968.!

His wife is Charlene Lifeson. They have been married since 1975 and are still together.

The original members of what later became Rush were high school friends in Toronto, and like many kids with a love of music, they decided to form a band. The beginnings of Rush go back to 1968, but it took a few personnel changes before the guys we know today as Rush finally got together, a process that began around 1972-1973, and culminated in 1974 when Neil Peart joined Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee (Neil replaced the previous drummer, John Rutsey, whose poor health made touring difficult for him). While John is on Rush's first album, everything since then has been Alex, Geddy and Neil.

While Rush has been nominated for seven Grammy awards, they have never won any. But they have won numerous other awards, and have been inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The original members of Rush were John Rutsey(Drummer), Alex Lifeson(Guitar) and Jeff Jones (Bass and Lead Vocals). Soon after forming, however, Jones was replaced as lead vocalist by Lifeson's longtime friend Geddy Lee. This group, Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey, are considered the founding members as of May 1971.

Originally, it was Vic Wilson and Ray Danniels, who founded SRO Management and later, Anthem Entertainment. They ultimately came to a parting of the ways, and these days, it is Ray Danniels who manages Rush.

Geddy Lee Weinrib is 63 years old (birthdate: July 29, 1953).

I haven't heard them say much about fishing; I do know that Geddy has gone fishing in the past, but he does not talk about it as a favorite activity. He likes to go cycling and he likes to play golf. Alex is also a big fan of golf; in addition, Alex likes to fly, and he owns a small business jet. Neil is very enthusiastic about hiking, and he also likes to go bird-watching. Since his wife is a photographer, getting out in nature (where good pictures can be taken) is something very enjoyable for both of them.

It is very unlikely. Ayn Rand died in 1982, and during her life, there is not much evidence that she liked rock music. Further, she influenced many young people over the years, Neil Peart among them; but unless the people who admired her work sought her out, she did not make the effort to find them. Neil has never spoken about any efort to find her, nor has he said that considered himself one of her disciples.

In the band's 2010 Time Machine tour, they start the concert with an amusing video claiming to expose the TRUE HISTORY of Rush. In this video, the band started out as an accordion/tuba/drum polka band named Rash. More hi-jinx followed... :-)

No, not really. While Geddy likes to read and keeps up with current events, he is more involved with baseball and with gourmet cooking (especially his collection of fine wines) than he is with politics. Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart have much more open views about politics; I have discussed politics with both of them on several occasions.

The lead singer is Geddy Lee (real name: Gary Lee Weinrib).