Rush 1979

Rush 1979, illustrated here in May, 1979, composed of Alex Lifeson (guitars), Neil Peart (drums, percussion, lyrics) and Geddy Lee (bass, vocals, keyboards). Alex with his Gibson ES 369 guitar and Geddy with his Rickenbacker 4001 Bass.
Rush was a Canadian rock band. Forming in 1968, the band went through several configurations until arriving at its longest and most popular line-up when Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group’s first United States tour.

Rush is known for its musicianship, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy. The band’s musical style has changed several times over the years, from a blues-inspired hard rock beginning, later moving into progressive rock, and including a period marked by heavy use of synthesizers. In the early 1990s, Rush returned to a guitar-driven hard rock sound, which continued for the rest of their career.

They performed their first concert together, opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann with an attendance of over 11,000 people at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 14, 1979. In addition to becoming the band’s drummer, Peart assumed the role of principal lyricist from Lee, who had very little interest in writing, despite having penned the lyrics of the band’s first album.

Geddy Lee’s high-register vocal style has always been a signature of the band, Lee’s style, technique, and ability on the bass guitar have been influential to rock and heavy metal musicians across the world.
Lifeson as a guitarist is best known for his signature riffing, electronic effects and processing, unorthodox chord structures, and a copious arsenal of equipment used over the years.
Peart has been voted the greatest rock drummer by music fans, critics and fellow musicians, according to Drummerworld. He is also regarded as one of the finest practitioners of the in-concert drum solo.

Rush has many signature hits: “Tom Sawyer”, “2112”, “Limelight”, “Working Man”, “Red Barchetta”, “Xanadu”, “The Spirit Of Radio”, “The Trees”, “La Villa Strangiato” and “Subdivisions” to name a few.

Rush has received nominations for seven Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

The “Starman” logo first appeared on the back cover of the 1976 album 2112.

Geddy Lee explains his first name origin; “My born name is Gary. My real name, now, is Geddy. The story goes: my mother is Polish and she has a very thick accent. When I was about twelve years old, I had a friend who, whenever he heard my mother pronounce my name, he thought she was calling me, ‘Geddy’. He started calling me ‘Geddy’, and eventually, all of my friends started calling me ‘Geddy’, and eventually my mother started to call me ‘Geddy’, for real. And eventually, I changed my name legally to ‘Geddy’, so that’s the story and that’s my name, Geddy.”

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