When they turn the pages of history, when these days have passed long ago...
Band Members
Early in 1968, Willowdale neighbors Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey formed a band that was initially called "Projection". John's older brother is credited with suggesting the name "Rush" a few months later.
Between 1968 and the release of the first album in 1974, there were several personnel changes involving Geddy Lee, Lindy Young, and others. At one point, Geddy formed a band of his own, and Rush changed its name to Hadrian, then they broke up, got back together, it was a real mess!
Go see Jim Wright's "Rush At Resist Page" for a good chronological history of the early days. Or do a Google Search on "John Rutsey", most of those links have similar information.
From July 1974 to present, there have been no changes in the band's lineup of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, although other people have occasionally made guest appearances on keyboards and backing vocals.
The Rush "Sound"
Rush truly embodies the idea behind "progressive rock". In their 30+ years together, they have never relied on the same tired formula to guarantee continued success. Instead their sound is constantly evolving, sometimes with dramatic changes within a few years.
Most fans generally consider the band to have gone through several "periods", each with four studio albums followed by a live album:
The Hard Rock Era - Rush through 2112
The Art-Rock Era - A Farewell to Kings through Moving Pictures
The Synthesizer Era - Signals through Hold Your Fire
The Modern Era - Presto through Vapor Trails
You can read more about these albums (including my commentary...for what it's worth!) on my albums, songs, and lyrics page.
Other Projects
All three members of Rush have been involved with numerous musical endeavors outside of the band, which are detailed on their individual pages. They appeared as a group with Max Webster on "Battlescar", on the Universal Juveniles album.
In addition, Rush have been active with many charity projects over the years:
- Hear 'N Aid (1986 famine relief project)
- After The Hurricane - Songs For Montserrat
- Northern Lights For Africa
- The United Way
- Artists Against Racism
- various food banks and AIDS research charities
- The 2003 SARS relief concert (SARStock) in Toronto
- The CBC's 2004 tsunami relief telethon
Awards
Some of the awards Rush have won as a group:
Juno Awards:
- 1975 - Most Promising Group of the Year
- 1978 - Group of the Year
- 1979 - Group of the Year
- 1982 - Best Album Graphics (Moving Pictures)
- 1986 - Best Album Graphics (Power Windows)
- 1990 - Best Album Design (Presto)
- 1991 - Best Hard Rock/Metal Album (Presto)
- 1992 - Best Album Design (Roll The Bones)
- 1992 - Hard Rock Album of the Year (Roll The Bones)
- 2004 - Music DVD of the Year (Rush In Rio)
- Over 30 other nominations, mostly "Group of the Year" and "Album of the Year"
- Rush were inducted into the Juno Hall Of Fame in 1994
Grammy Award nominations:
- Best Rock Instrumental, 1982 runner-up ("YYZ")
- Best Rock Instrumental, 1992 runner-up ("Where's My Thing?")
- Best Rock Instrumental, 2005 runner-up ("O Baterista")
Other awards:
- 1990 - named "Group Of The Decade" in Canada
- 1990 - won the revered "Mayor's Award" at the Toronto Music Awards
- 1992 - "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Musician's Institute in Hollywood
- 1992 - the prestigious "Harold Moon Award" from SOCAN
- 1993 - "Musicians Of The Millennium Award" from Harvard National Lampoon
- 1993 - "Toronto Arts Award" from the Arts Foundation of Toronto
- 1994 - inducted into the CARAS Canadian Music Hall of Fame
- 1997 - named as Officers of the Order Of Canada
- 1997 - "Outstanding Contribution to Music Award" from The Foundation Forum
- 1999 - awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto
- 2000 - named "Best Canadian Musicians of All Time" in the JAM! online poll
- 2003 - inducted into the CMW Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame
You can see more highlights of Rush's career at Rush.com.
