History of Rush
The history of the rock band Rush spans over forty years. The group progressed from a fluctuating early lineup between the summer of 1968 and May 1971, to Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey at the release of their first album in March 1974, to the replacement of Rutsey with Neil Peart in July of that same year. This resulted in the final definitive form of the band and the incarnation of Lee, Peart and Lifeson has lasted for more than 40 years to the present.
Over time, Rush has changed their style of music dramatically; evolving from a sound derivative of Led Zeppelin on their eponymous debut album to styles encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, and a period dominated by synthesizers; their music today can best be described as modern rock.
Formation and first album (1968-1974)
The original line-up of Rush formed in August 1968, in Toronto, Ontario, consisting of Jeff Jones (bass and lead vocals), John Rutsey (drums, percussion and backing vocals) and Alex Lifeson (guitars, keyboards and backing vocals). It was Rutsey's older brother who suggested the name Rush immediately before the band's first gig at The Coff-In, a local coffee shop in the basement of St. Theodore's of Canterbury Anglican Church. This was a play on words alluding to the frantic scrambling of the band members as they tried to come up with a title. That same summer, Jones was replaced as bassist and lead vocalist by Lifeson's schoolmate Gary Lee Weinrib, who went by the name of Geddy Lee. The name Geddy was inspired by the heavily accented pronunciation of his first name by his Polish mother.
After this point, Rush experienced rapid personnel changes and lineup reformations before finally settling on its officially recognized incarnation. This began in January 1969 when Lindy Young came on board at the request of Lifeson to play keyboards, guitars and vocals. Lee was asked to leave Rush that May, and he went on to form his own band which he first called Ogilvie, but later opted for the name Judd. Rush and Judd were both managed by local friend Ray Danniels. Lee was replaced in Rush by bassist and vocalist Joe Perna, and at this point the name of the band was changed to Hadrian. Lee had such terrific success with his newly formed band that Young made the decision to leave and join Judd, resulting in the final dissolution of Hadrian. However, in September, the members of Judd also disbanded allowing Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey to reconvene as Rush once again. In February 1971, Mitchel Bossi was recruited as rhythm and lead guitarist, however, his tenure was extremely short-lived and he quit in May of the same year leaving behind the three members to carry on as a trio. During these early years, Rush would cover bands that would influence their future sound: The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. They also began writing original compositions; initial songs would include "Keep in Line", "Garden Road", "Slaughterhouse", and "Feel So Good".
After experiencing some stability in their line-up and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, Rush decided to release their first single in 1973 before attempting work on a full album. Side A contained "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, while on side B there was an original composition titled "You Can't Fight It" credited to Rutsey and Lee. To the chagrin of the band, the single did not generate the desired commercial reaction. Because numerous record companies refused to produce and distribute Rush's music, the band was forced to form their own record label, Moon Records. However, despite these early setbacks, Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey, with the aid of Danniels and newly enlisted engineer Terry Brown, released their first album in March 1974, the self-titled Rush. Highly derivative of Led Zeppelin, Rush had limited local popularity until the original release, distributed by Moon Records, was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ and station manager working at the time, selected the seven-minute "Working Man" to be part of the regular play cycle. This song was the band's first release to garner commercial feedback. It resonated with hard rock fans in North America; being reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, with Lee sounding similar to Robert Plant, and Lifeson's guitar riffs modeled partly after Jimmy Page's style. This popularity led the album to be redistributed by Mercury Records. The R40 - 40th Anniversary Tour began May 8, 2015 and ran through August 1, 2015.
Band members
Current members
*Alex Lifeson - guitars (lead, rhythm, slide, six string, twelve string, acoustic, electric and classical), mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, backing vocals, bass and synthesizer pedals, additional keyboards (September 1968-May 1969, September 1969-present)
*Gerry Fielding - drums (July 1974) <ref name=GuitarMagazine />
Timeline
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Over time, Rush has changed their style of music dramatically; evolving from a sound derivative of Led Zeppelin on their eponymous debut album to styles encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, and a period dominated by synthesizers; their music today can best be described as modern rock.
Formation and first album (1968-1974)
The original line-up of Rush formed in August 1968, in Toronto, Ontario, consisting of Jeff Jones (bass and lead vocals), John Rutsey (drums, percussion and backing vocals) and Alex Lifeson (guitars, keyboards and backing vocals). It was Rutsey's older brother who suggested the name Rush immediately before the band's first gig at The Coff-In, a local coffee shop in the basement of St. Theodore's of Canterbury Anglican Church. This was a play on words alluding to the frantic scrambling of the band members as they tried to come up with a title. That same summer, Jones was replaced as bassist and lead vocalist by Lifeson's schoolmate Gary Lee Weinrib, who went by the name of Geddy Lee. The name Geddy was inspired by the heavily accented pronunciation of his first name by his Polish mother.
After this point, Rush experienced rapid personnel changes and lineup reformations before finally settling on its officially recognized incarnation. This began in January 1969 when Lindy Young came on board at the request of Lifeson to play keyboards, guitars and vocals. Lee was asked to leave Rush that May, and he went on to form his own band which he first called Ogilvie, but later opted for the name Judd. Rush and Judd were both managed by local friend Ray Danniels. Lee was replaced in Rush by bassist and vocalist Joe Perna, and at this point the name of the band was changed to Hadrian. Lee had such terrific success with his newly formed band that Young made the decision to leave and join Judd, resulting in the final dissolution of Hadrian. However, in September, the members of Judd also disbanded allowing Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey to reconvene as Rush once again. In February 1971, Mitchel Bossi was recruited as rhythm and lead guitarist, however, his tenure was extremely short-lived and he quit in May of the same year leaving behind the three members to carry on as a trio. During these early years, Rush would cover bands that would influence their future sound: The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. They also began writing original compositions; initial songs would include "Keep in Line", "Garden Road", "Slaughterhouse", and "Feel So Good".
After experiencing some stability in their line-up and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, Rush decided to release their first single in 1973 before attempting work on a full album. Side A contained "Not Fade Away", a cover of the Buddy Holly song, while on side B there was an original composition titled "You Can't Fight It" credited to Rutsey and Lee. To the chagrin of the band, the single did not generate the desired commercial reaction. Because numerous record companies refused to produce and distribute Rush's music, the band was forced to form their own record label, Moon Records. However, despite these early setbacks, Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey, with the aid of Danniels and newly enlisted engineer Terry Brown, released their first album in March 1974, the self-titled Rush. Highly derivative of Led Zeppelin, Rush had limited local popularity until the original release, distributed by Moon Records, was picked up by WMMS, a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio. Donna Halper, a DJ and station manager working at the time, selected the seven-minute "Working Man" to be part of the regular play cycle. This song was the band's first release to garner commercial feedback. It resonated with hard rock fans in North America; being reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, with Lee sounding similar to Robert Plant, and Lifeson's guitar riffs modeled partly after Jimmy Page's style. This popularity led the album to be redistributed by Mercury Records. The R40 - 40th Anniversary Tour began May 8, 2015 and ran through August 1, 2015.
Band members
Current members
*Alex Lifeson - guitars (lead, rhythm, slide, six string, twelve string, acoustic, electric and classical), mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, backing vocals, bass and synthesizer pedals, additional keyboards (September 1968-May 1969, September 1969-present)
*Gerry Fielding - drums (July 1974) <ref name=GuitarMagazine />
Timeline
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