Geddy Lee

Last updated

Geddy Lee
OC
TaylorHawkTributeWemb030922 (168 of 281) (cropped).jpg
Lee performing at Wembley Stadium in 2022
Background information
Birth nameGary Lee Weinrib
Born (1953-07-29) July 29, 1953 (age 71)
North York, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • author
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • bass guitar
  • keyboards
  • synthesizer
Years active1968–present
Labels
Formerly of
Spouse
Nancy Young
​
(m. 1976)​
[2] [3]
Lee's speaking voice
On Rotosound guitar strings
Signature
Geddy Lee signature.png

Geddy Lee; born Gary Lee Weinrib, July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the rock group Rush. [4] Lee joined the band in September 1968 at the request of his childhood friend Alex Lifeson, replacing original bassist and frontman Jeff Jones. [5] [6] Lee's solo effort, My Favourite Headache , was released in 2000.

Contents

Lee's style, technique, and skill on the bass have inspired many rock musicians such as Cliff Burton of Metallica; [7] Steve Harris of Iron Maiden; [8] John Myung of Dream Theater; [9] Les Claypool of Primus; [10] Steve Di Giorgio of Sadus, Death and Testament; [11] and Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. [12] Along with his Rush bandmates – guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart – Lee was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on May 9, 1996. The trio was the first rock band to receive this honor. [13] In 2013, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after 14 years of eligibility. In 2006, Lee was ranked 13th by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalists of All Time. [14]

Early life

He was born Gary Lee Weinrib [15] on July 29, 1953, in Willowdale, Toronto, to Morris Weinrib (born Moshe Meir Weinrib; 1920–1965) from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Poland; and Mary "Manya" Rubinstein (born Malka Rubinstein; 1925–2021), [16] [17] who was also from Poland: born in Warsaw and later raised in Wierzbnik. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] His parents were Jewish Holocaust survivors from Poland who had survived the ghetto in Starachowice (where they met), followed by their imprisonments at Auschwitz and later Dachau and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps during the Holocaust and World War II. [19] [20] They were in their teens when they were initially imprisoned at Auschwitz. "It was kind of surreal pre-teen shit", says Lee, describing how his father bribed guards to bring shoes to his mother. After a period, his mother was transferred to Bergen-Belsen and his father to Dachau. When the war ended four years later, and the Allies liberated the camps, Morris set out in search of Manya and found her at a Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp. [19] They married there and eventually emigrated to Canada. [23]

When Lee started school, his name was incorrectly registered. [24] As a result, Lee grew up thinking his middle name was "Lorne". As a teenager, he saw a copy of his birth certificate and discovered that his middle name was "Lee". [15]

Lee's father died young, which forced Lee's mother to work to support their three children by running the Newmarket, Ontario, variety store that her husband had owned and managed. [16] [23] Lee has suggested that his father's death was probably a factor in his becoming a musician: "It was a terrible blow that I lost him, but the course of my life changed because my mother couldn't control us." He has said that losing his father at such an early age made him aware of how "quickly life can disappear", which inspired him from then on to get the most out of his life and music. [25]

Lee turned his basement into practice space for a band he formed with high school friends. After the band began earning income from small performances at high school shows or other events, he decided to drop out of high school and play rock and roll professionally. His mother was devastated when he gave her the news.

All the shit I put her through, on top of the fact that she just lost her husband. I felt like I had to make sure that it was worth it. I wanted to show her that I was a professional, that I was working hard, and wasn't just a fuckin' lunatic. [23]

Jweekly featured Lee's reflections on his mother's experiences as a refugee and on his own Jewish heritage. [20] Lee's name, Geddy, was derived from his mother's Polish-accented pronunciation of his given first name, Gary. [26] This was picked up by his friends in school, leading Lee to adopt it as his stage name (excising his surname, leaving his middle name as his surname) and later his legal name, [27] Geddy Lee Weinrib [15] : 10:58  (replacing his first name).

After Rush had become a widely recognized rock group, Lee told the group's drummer and lyricist, Neil Peart, about his mother's early life. [28] Peart then wrote the lyrics to "Red Sector A", which was inspired by her ordeal. The song, for which Lee wrote the music, was released on the band's 1984 album Grace Under Pressure. [21] The lyrics include the following verse:

I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gate
Are the liberators here?
Do I hope or do I fear?
For my father and my brother, it's too late
But I must help my mother stand up straight. [29]

Music career

Early years

Lee performing in 2004 Geddy Lee Milan 2004.jpg
Lee performing in 2004

Lee began playing music in school when he was 10 or 11 and received his first acoustic guitar at 14. In school, he first played drums, trumpet and clarinet. However, learning to play instruments in school was not satisfying to Lee, and he took basic piano lessons independently. His interest increased dramatically after listening to some of the popular rock groups at the time. Early influences included Jack Bruce of Cream, John Entwistle of The Who, Jeff Beck, and Procol Harum. [18] "I was mainly interested in early British progressive rock", said Lee. "That's how I learned to play bass, emulating Jack Bruce and people like that." [30] Bruce's style of music was also noticed by Lee, who liked that "his sound was distinctive – it wasn't boring." [30] Lee has also been influenced by Paul McCartney, [31] Chris Squire, [32] and James Jamerson. [33]

In 1969, Rush began playing professionally in coffeehouses, high school dances and at various outdoor recreational events. By 1971, they were now playing primarily original songs in small clubs and bars, including Toronto's Gasworks and Abbey Road Pub. [34] Lee describes the group during these early years as being "weekend warriors". They were holding down jobs during the weekdays and playing music on weekends: "We longed to break out of the boring surrounding of the suburbs and the endless similarities . . . the shopping plazas and all that stuff...the music was a vehicle for us to speak out." [34] He claims that in the beginning, they were simply "a straightforward rock band." [34]

Short of money, they began opening concerts at venues such as Toronto's Victory Burlesque Theatre for the glam rock band New York Dolls. [34] By 1972, Rush began performing full-length concerts, mainly consisting of original songs, in cities including Toronto and Detroit. As they gained more recognition, they began performing as an opening act for groups such as Aerosmith, Kiss, and Blue Öyster Cult. [35]

Style

Lee live in concert at the Xcel Energy Center on May 22, 2008 GeddyLee.JPG
Lee live in concert at the Xcel Energy Center on May 22, 2008

Like Cream, Rush followed the model of a "power trio", with Lee playing bass and singing. Lee's vocals produced a distinctive, resonant "countertenor". [34] Lee possessed a three-octave vocal range spanning from baritone through tenor, alto, and mezzo-soprano pitch ranges; however, his range significantly decreased with age. [34] Lee's playing style is widely regarded for his use of high treble and very hard playing of the strings and for utilizing the bass as a lead instrument, often contrapuntal to Lifeson's guitar. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Lee mostly used a Rickenbacker 4001 bass, with a very noticeable grit in his tone. According to Lee, during the band's "synth era" in the mid-1980s, Lee used Steinberger and later Wal basses, with the latter having more of a "jazzy" tone. [36] From 1993's Counterparts onward, Lee began using the Fender Jazz Bass almost exclusively, returning to his trademark high treble sound. Lee had first used the Jazz Bass to record Moving Pictures on songs such as "Tom Sawyer." [37]

Rising popularity

After several early albums and increasing popularity, Rush's status as a rock group soared over the following five years as they consistently toured worldwide and produced successful albums, including 2112 (1976), A Farewell to Kings (1977), Hemispheres (1978), Permanent Waves (1980), and Moving Pictures (1981). Lee began adding synthesizers in 1977, with the release of A Farewell to Kings. Keyboard critic Greg Armbruster says the additional sounds from synthesizers expanded the group's "textural capabilities" and allowed the trio to produce an orchestrated and more complex progressive rock music style. [35] It also gave Lee the ability to play bass simultaneously, as he could control the synthesizer with foot pedals. In 1981, he won Keyboard magazine's poll as "Best New Talent." [35] By the 1984 album Grace Under Pressure , Lee was surrounding himself with stacks of keyboards on stage. [35]

By the 1980s, Rush had become one of the "biggest rock bands on the planet", selling out arena seats when touring. [18] [27] Lee was known for his dynamic stage movements. According to music critic Tom Mulhern, writing in 1980, "it's dazzling to see so much sheer energy expended without a nervous breakdown." [30] By 1996, their Test for Echo Tour began performing without an opening act, their shows lasting nearly three hours. [38] [ full citation needed ] [39]

Music industry writer Christopher Buttner, who interviewed Lee in 1996, described him as a prodigy and "role model" for what every musician wants to be, noting his proficiency on stage. Buttner cited Lee's ability to vary time signatures, play multiple keyboards, use bass pedal controllers and control sequencers, all while singing lead vocals into as many as three microphones. Buttner adds that few musicians of any instrument "can juggle half of what Geddy can do without literally falling on their ass." [27] As a result, notes Mulhern, Lee's instrumentation was the "pulse" of the group and created a "one-man rhythm section", which complemented guitarist Alex Lifeson and percussionist Neil Peart. [30] Bass instructor Allan Slutsky, or "Dr Licks", credits Lee's "biting, high-end bass lines and creative synthesizer work" for helping the group become "one of the most innovative" of all the groups that play arena rock. [40] By 1989, Guitar Player magazine had designated Lee the "Best Rock Bass" player from their reader's poll for the previous five years. [40]

Greg Prato of AllMusic wrote that "few hard rock bassists have been as influential as Rush's Geddy Lee." [41] Bass players who have cited Lee as an influence include Cliff Burton of Metallica, [7] Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, [8] John Myung of Dream Theater, [9] Les Claypool of Primus, [10] and Steve Di Giorgio of Sadus, Death and Testament. [11]

My Favourite Headache

My Favourite Headache , Lee's solo album, was released on November 14, 2000, while Rush was on a hiatus following the deaths of Neil Peart's daughter and wife. [42] Musicians associated with the project include friend and Rush collaborator Ben Mink and drummer Matt Cameron of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.

Side projects

The bulk of Lee's work in music has been with Rush (see Rush discography). However, Lee has also contributed to a body of work outside of his involvement with the band through guest appearances and album production. In 1980, Lee was brought in to produce Toronto-based band Wireless who had previously opened up for Rush and were on the verge of breaking up. With Lee at the helm, the group recorded their third and final album, No Static, released on Rush's label, Anthem Records. [43]

In 1981, Lee was the featured guest for the hit song "Take Off" and its included comedic commentary with Bob and Doug McKenzie (played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, respectively) for the McKenzie Brothers' comedy album Great White North , which was released on Rush's Anthem label. While Rush has had great success selling albums, "Take Off" is the highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 of Lee's career. [44]

In 1982, Lee produced the first (and only) album from Toronto's new wave band Boys Brigade. On the 1985 album We Are the World , by humanitarian consortium USA for Africa, Lee recorded guest vocals for the song "Tears Are Not Enough". [45] Lee sang "O Canada", the Canadian national anthem, at Baltimore's Camden Yards for the 1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. [46]

Another version of "O Canada", with a rock arrangement, was recorded by Lee and Lifeson for the 1999 film soundtrack South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut . [47]

Lee also plays bass on Canadian rock band I Mother Earth's track "Good for Sule", which is featured on the group's 1999 album Blue Green Orange . [47]

Along with his bandmates, Lee was a guest musician on the Max Webster song "Battle Scar", from the 1980 album Universal Juveniles . [47]

Lee appeared in Broken Social Scene's music video for their 2006 single "Fire Eye'd Boy", judging the band while performing various musical tasks. In 2006, Lee joined Lifeson's supergroup, the Big Dirty Band, to provide songs accompanying Trailer Park Boys: The Movie . [48]

In 2017, Lee performed in place of late bassist Chris Squire with Yes during the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, playing bass for the song "Roundabout." [49] [50]

In 2018, Lee published Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass, which highlights his collection of over 250 basses along with interviews with some of the leading bass players and bass technicians.[ citation needed ]

In 2020, Lee provided guest vocals to an all-star Canadian rendition of the late Bill Withers song "Lean on Me" during the TV special Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble , a Canadian benefit performance simulcast by every major television network in Canada as a benefit for Food Banks Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. [51] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked him as the 24th-greatest bassist of all time. [52]

In September 2021, Barenaked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson revealed that he was working on a "secret project" with Lee, [53] which turned out to be callouts for a subsequent Rush pinball machine. [54]

In 2022, he appeared as a guest star playing Thomas Sawyer on the acclaimed long-running CBC period drama Murdoch Mysteries. [55]

In November 2023, Lee published an autobiography titled My Effin' Life. [15] [56] The book was promoted with a 19-date tour of the UK and North America. [57]

On December 5, 2023, Paramount+ released a video series, "Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too?" Four episodes were aired on Les Claypool, Robert Trujillo, Melissa Auf der Maur, and Krist Novoselic. Each episode features Lee visiting with and talking to the guest bassist. [58]

Collections

Lee is a collector, and has collected baseball ephemera, vintage bass guitars, and wines, with a collection of 5,000 bottles. [59] As a child he collected stamps and vinyl records. He went on to collect first edition books as well as bass guitars. [60] Lee is also an avid watch collector. [61]

Baseball

Geddy Lee certificate of authenticity for a guitar Geddy Lee Certificate of authenticity.jpg
Geddy Lee certificate of authenticity for a guitar

Lee is also a longtime baseball fan. His favourite team while growing up was the Detroit Tigers, [62] and he later became a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays after they were established. [62] In the 1980s, Lee began reading the works of Bill James, particularly The Bill James Baseball Abstracts, which led to an interest in sabermetrics and participation in a fantasy baseball keeper league. [62] He collects baseball memorabilia, once donating part of his collection [63] to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, [64] and threw the ceremonial first pitch to inaugurate the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays season. [65] [66] Lee sang the Canadian national anthem [67] before the 1993 MLB All-Star Game. In 2016, Lee planned to produce an independent film about baseball in Italy. [68] Lee is regularly seen in his seat behind home plate at the Toronto Blue Jays stadium Rogers Centre with his scorecard. [69] When the team was forced to move to Buffalo during the 2020 season, a cardboard cutout of Lee was placed in a seat behind home plate. [70]

Guitars and basses

Lee also collects guitars and basses. He has a collection of over 250 vintage basses. [71] He owns a 1961 Fender Precision Bass previously owned by John Entwistle of The Who. He also owns two 1964 Fender Jazz Basses in the rare Dakota Red color. [72]

In 2019, Lee sent several of his guitars to Mecum Auctions, including a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a 1960 Gibson ES-345, a 1955 Fender Stratocaster, a 1960 Gibson ES-335, a 1965 Gibson ES-335 and a 1967 Gibson Flying V. [73]

Equipment used

Basses

Lee on tour with various basses and an acoustic guitar Vintage Geddy Lee with Quiver.jpg
Lee on tour with various basses and an acoustic guitar

In the early days of Rush, Lee used a Fender Precision Bass, which eventually had its body modified and refinished to a blue "teardrop"-shape. [74] Inspired by the distinctive sound of Yes bassist Chris Squire, Lee then acquired a black Rickenbacker 4001 bass, which remained his main instrument from the 1970s up until the early 1980s. [75]

In 1998, Fender released the Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, available in Black [76] and 3-Color Sunburst [77] (as of 2009). [78] This signature model is a recreation of Lee's favourite bass, a 1972 Fender Jazz that he bought in a pawn shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1978. In 2015, Fender released a revised USA model of his signature bass, [79] with most of the changes reflecting those Lee had made to his own instrument over the years.

Lee has been a longtime user of RotoSound strings. He uses Swing Bass RS66LD (.45-.105) on a majority of his basses, [80] [81] but used Funkmaster FM66 (.30-.90) on his Wal basses from 1985 to 1992. [82]

Bass amplification

For Rush's 2010 tour, Lee used two Orange AD200 bass heads together with two OBC410 4x10 bass cabinets. [83]

Keyboards and synthesizers

Lee with his Roland Fantom X7 during the 2010-2011 Time Machine Tour 20110527-213757 Rush Ahoy Rotterdam 1200x0900.jpg
Lee with his Roland Fantom X7 during the 2010–2011 Time Machine Tour

Over the years, Lee has used synthesizers from Oberheim (Oberheim Eight Voice, OB-1, OB-X, OB-Xa), PPG (Wave 2.2 and 2.3), Roland (Jupiter 8, D-50, XV-5080, and Fantom X7), Moog (Minimoog, Taurus pedals, Little Phatty [84] ), and Yamaha (DX7, KX76).

Live performances: special equipment

Recreating unique sounds

Newer advances in synthesizer and sampler technology have allowed Lee to store familiar sounds from his old synthesizers alongside new ones in combination synthesizer/samplers, such as the Roland XV-5080. For live shows in 2002 and 2004, Lee and his keyboard technician used the playback capabilities of the XV-5080 to generate virtually all of Rush's keyboard sounds to date and additional complex sound passages that previously required several machines at once to produce. [85]

To trigger these sounds in real-time, Lee uses MIDI controllers, placed at the locations on the stage where he has a microphone stand. Lee uses two types of MIDI controllers: one type resembles a traditional synthesizer keyboard on a stand (Yamaha KX76). The second type is a large foot-pedal keyboard placed on the stage floor (Korg MPK-130, Roland PK-5). Combined, they enable Lee to use his free hands and feet to trigger sounds in electronic equipment that has been placed off-stage. [85] With this technology Lee and his bandmates can present their arrangements in a live setting with the level of complexity and fidelity that fans have come to expect and without the need to resort to the use of backing tracks or employing an additional band member. [86] During the Clockwork Angels Tour , a notable exception was when a string ensemble played string parts, originally arranged and conducted by David Campbell on Clockwork Angels . [87]

Unique stage equipment

Rush live in concert with rotisseries and chef in background Geddy-henhouse.jpg
Rush live in concert with rotisseries and chef in background

In 1996, Lee stopped using traditional bass amplifiers on stage, opting to have the bass guitar signals input directly to the touring front-of-house console to improve control and sound definition. He began using Tech 21 SansAmp units after experimenting with one in the studio intended for Alex Lifeson's guitar [88] and eventually received signature models from the company, most notably the GED-2112 rackmount. [89]

Faced with the dilemma of what to do with the empty space left behind by the lack of large amplifier cabinets, Lee chose to decorate his side of the stage with unusual items. The Snakes & Arrows Tour prominently featured three Henhouse brand rotisserie chicken ovens on stage complete with an attendant in a chef's hat and apron to "tend" the chickens during shows. [90]

Awards

Personal life

Lee married Nancy Young in 1976. [99] They have a son and a daughter. He takes annual trips to France, where he indulges in cheese and wine. [100] In 2011, a charitable foundation he supports, Grapes for Humanity, created the Geddy Lee Scholarship for winemaking students at Niagara College. [101] Lee has described himself as a Jewish atheist, explaining to an interviewer, "I consider myself a Jew as a race, but not so much as a religion. I'm not down with religion at all. I'm a Jewish atheist, if that's possible." [102]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Lifeson</span> Canadian guitarist (born 1953)

Aleksandar Živojinović, known professionally as Alex Lifeson, is a Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist for the rock band Rush. In 1968, Lifeson co-founded a band that would later become Rush, with drummer John Rutsey and bassist and lead vocalist Jeff Jones. Jones was replaced by Geddy Lee a month later, and Rutsey was replaced by Neil Peart in 1974, after which the lineup remained unchanged until the band's dissolution in 2018. Lifeson was the only member of Rush who stayed in the band throughout its entire existence, and he and Lee were the only members to appear on all of the band's albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rush (band)</span> Canadian rock band

Rush was a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in 1968 that primarily comprised Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart. The band's original line-up comprised Lifeson, drummer John Rutsey, and bassist and vocalist Jeff Jones, whom Lee immediately replaced. After Lee joined, the band went through a few line-up changes before arriving at its classic power trio line-up with the addition of Peart in July 1974, who replaced Rutsey four months after the release of their self-titled debut album; this line-up remained unchanged for the remainder of the band's career.

<i>Signals</i> (Rush album) 1982 studio album by Rush

Signals is the ninth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 9, 1982 by Anthem Records. After the release of their previous album, Moving Pictures, the band started to prepare material for a follow-up during soundchecks on their 1981 concert tour and during the mixing of their subsequent live album Exit...Stage Left. Signals demonstrates the group's continuing use of synthesizers, sequencers, and other electronic instrumentation. It is the last album produced by their longtime associate Terry Brown, who had worked with them since 1974.

<i>2112</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Rush

2112 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in March 1976 by Mercury Records. It reached No. 5 in Canada and became the band's commercial breakthrough in America, peaking at No. 61.

<i>A Farewell to Kings</i> 1977 studio album by Rush

A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on Anthem Records on August 29, 1977. The album reached No. 11 in Canada and marked a growth in the band's international fanbase, becoming their first Top 40 album in the US and the UK.

<i>Rush</i> (Rush album) 1974 studio album by Rush

Rush is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released on March 18, 1974, in Canada by Moon Records, the group's own label, before it was released internationally by Mercury Records later that year. Recorded five years after the band's formation, this first release shows much of the hard rock sound typical of many of the popular rock bands emerging earlier in the decade. Rush were fans of such bands as Led Zeppelin, Yes and Cream, and these influences can be heard in most of the songs on the album.

<i>Fly by Night</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Rush

Fly by Night is the second studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released on February 14, 1975, by Mercury Records. It was the first Rush album to showcase elements of progressive rock for which the band has become known. It was also the first to feature lyricist and drummer Neil Peart, who replaced original drummer John Rutsey the previous summer just prior to the band's first North American tour. Peart took over as Rush's primary lyricist, and the abundance of fantastical and philosophical themes in his compositions contrasted greatly with the simpler hard rock of the band's debut album.

<i>Caress of Steel</i> 1975 studio album by Rush

Caress of Steel is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 24, 1975, by Mercury Records. It was recorded immediately after the band concluded touring in support of their previous album, Fly By Night, and marked a development in the group's sound, moving from the blues-based hard rock style of their debut towards progressive rock. Caress of Steel is considered Rush's first progressive rock album. Songs such as "The Necromancer" furthered Rush's advancement into narrative-driven, fantasy-based compositions, while "The Fountain of Lamneth" was their first prog-rock "epic" to span an entire side of vinyl. Other tracks like "Bastille Day" and "Lakeside Park" became staples of the band's live setlists.

<i>Roll the Bones</i> 1991 studio album by Rush

Roll the Bones is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released September 3, 1991, on Anthem Records. The band began working on the album after a brief creative hiatus following the tour promoting their previous release, Presto (1989).

<i>Moving Pictures</i> (Rush album) 1981 studio album by Rush

Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on February 12, 1981, by Anthem Records. After touring to support their previous album, Permanent Waves (1980), the band started to write and record new material in August 1980 with longtime co-producer Terry Brown. They continued to write songs with a more radio-friendly sound, featuring tighter and shorter song structures compared to their earlier albums.

<i>Grace Under Pressure</i> (Rush album) 1984 album by Rush

Grace Under Pressure is the tenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released April 12, 1984, on Anthem Records. After touring for the band's previous album, Signals (1982), came to an end in mid-1983, Rush started work on a follow-up in August. The band had decided not to work with longtime producer Terry Brown, who had collaborated with Rush since 1974. The new material accentuated the group's change in direction towards a synthesizer-oriented sound like its previous album. After some difficulty finding a suitable producer who could commit, the album was recorded with Peter Henderson.

<i>Exit... Stage Left</i> 1981 live album by Rush

Exit... Stage Left is the second live album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released as a double album in October 1981 by Anthem Records. After touring in support of their eighth studio album Moving Pictures (1981), the band gathered recordings made over the previous two years and constructed a live release from them with producer Terry Brown. The album features recordings from June 1980 on their Permanent Waves (1980) tour, and from 1981 on their Moving Pictures tour.

<i>Hold Your Fire</i> 1987 studio album by Rush

Hold Your Fire is the twelfth studio album by Canadian progressive rock band Rush, released on September 8, 1987. It was recorded at The Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, AIR Studios in Montserrat and McClear Place in Toronto. Hold Your Fire was the last Rush studio album released outside Canada by PolyGram/Mercury. 'Til Tuesday bassist and vocalist Aimee Mann contributed vocals to "Time Stand Still" and appeared in the Zbigniew Rybczyński-directed video.

<i>Counterparts</i> (Rush album) 1993 studio album by Rush

Counterparts is the fifteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released October 19, 1993, on Anthem Records. After the band finished touring its previous album Roll the Bones (1991) in mid-1992, the members took a break before starting work on a follow-up.

<i>Test for Echo</i> 1996 studio album by Rush

Test for Echo is the sixteenth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 10, 1996, by Anthem Records. It was the final Rush album to be co-produced by Peter Collins. The band supported the album with a world tour in 1996 and 1997, after which they went on a five-year hiatus following the deaths of drummer Neil Peart's daughter and wife, and would not record again until 2001.

<i>Different Stages</i> (Rush album) 1998 live album by Rush

Different Stages is a live album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1998. The bulk of the first and second discs were recorded at the World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, Illinois, during the 1997 Test for Echo tour. Five other songs from various stops along the tour were included and three songs from the 1994 Counterparts tour. The third disc is taken from a performance at the Hammersmith Odeon in London during the A Farewell to Kings tour in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Sawyer (song)</span> 1981 song by Rush

"Tom Sawyer" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, originally released on their 1981 album Moving Pictures as its opener. The band's lead singer, bassist, and keyboardist, Geddy Lee, has referred to the track as the band's "defining piece ... from the early '80s".

"2112" is a song by the Canadian rock band Rush. It was released as a 20-minute song on their 1976 album of the same name and is the longest single song by the band. The overture and the first section, "The Temples of Syrinx", were released as a single. The song was adapted into a comic booklet, which used the lyrics of the song as lines for the characters and the narrations from the cover as intros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limelight (Rush song)</span> Rush song

"Limelight" is a song by Canadian progressive rock band Rush. It first appeared on the 1981 album Moving Pictures. The song's lyrics were written by Neil Peart with music written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. "Limelight" expresses Peart's discomfort with Rush's success and the resulting attention from the public. The song paraphrases the opening lines of the "All the world's a stage" speech from William Shakespeare's play As You Like It. The band had previously used the phrase for its 1976 live album. The lyrics also refer to "the camera eye", the title of the song that follows on the Moving Pictures album.

Malignant Narcissism is an instrumental track from Rush's 2007 album Snakes & Arrows. "Malignant Narcissism" was nominated for a 2008 Grammy under the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance, Rush's fifth nomination in said category. However, the song lost to Bruce Springsteen's "Once Upon a Time in the West" making it their fifth defeat in that category.

References

  1. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (December 5, 2023). "Geddy Lee Unearths 'Lost' Solo Demos". Spin . Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  2. ↑ Life, Toronto (November 14, 2023). ""There was a period when we were doing cocaine just to keep the energy up": A Q&A with Geddy Lee of Rush".
  3. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ Edgers, Geoff. "There was never a band like Rush. Geddy Lee doesn't want to forget it". The Washington Post .
  5. ↑ Banasiewicz, Bill. "Rush Visions: The Official Biography". Archived from the original on February 23, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Geddy Lee on the Day He Was Fired From Rush". Rolling Stone .
  7. 1 2 "CLIFF BURTON R.I.P. - 1986". metallicaworld.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Steve Harris Biography". ironmiaden.webvis.net. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
  9. 1 2 "John Myung on being named greatest bassist of all time". musicradar.com. September 28, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "You Say It's Your Birthday: Les Claypool of Primus in Addicted to Noise, September 1997". www.ram.org.
  11. 1 2 "Steve DiGiorgio: Back to Basics with Testament". bassplayer.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  12. ↑ "FBPO Exclusive Interview with Tim Commerford". For Bass Players Only. June 14, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Rush highlights" Archived July 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , MapleMusic Recordings (accessed May 23, 2007).
  14. ↑ oz (December 4, 2006). "Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time". Hearya.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Lee, Geddy (November 16, 2023). "Geddy Lee on My Effin' Life, Rush, and the story of Neil Peart's audition" . Retrieved November 18, 2023– via YouTube.
  16. 1 2 "Mary Weinrib". benjaminsparkmemorialchapel.ca. Toronto: Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel, The Benjamin Group. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  17. ↑ Lee, Geddy [@geddyimages] (July 6, 2021). "'Suddenly she was gone from all the lives she left her mark upon.'

    Mary (Manya) Weinrib
    July 16th 1925 – July 2nd 2021

    Rest In Peace Mom"     . Retrieved July 11, 2021– via Instagram.
  18. 1 2 3 Prato, Greg. "Biography of Geddy Lee", All Music
  19. 1 2 3 jomatami (February 3, 2019). "Geddy Lee Shares His Parents' Holocaust Story, How They Met in Work Camp & How They Survived Auschwitz". Ultimate Guitar . San Francisco. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  20. 1 2 3 "How the Holocaust rocked Rush front man Geddy Lee". J. The Jewish News of Northern California . San Francisco. June 25, 2004. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  21. 1 2 Benarde, Scott R. (August 11, 2004). "How the Holocaust rocked Rush's Geddy Lee". Canadian Jewish News . Toronto. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  22. ↑ "W poszukiwaniu swoich korzeni" [In search of one's roots]. Gazeta Starachowicka (in Polish). Starachowice. August 7, 2017. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021– via Wayback Machine. – Matka frontmana grupy Geddy Lee, pochodziła z Wierzbnika...[– Mother of the band's frontman Geddy Lee, originated from Wierzbnik...]
  23. 1 2 3 Hiatt, Brian (November 25, 2015). "From Rush With Love". Rolling Stone . New York City: Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  24. ↑ Lee, Geddy. "Interview" (video). LeftyGuitarist – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ "The Story of Geddy Lee" (video). Canada: Banger Films. 2015 – via YouTube.
  26. ↑ Hoffman, Jordan. "Locked down? Open up to… Rush's Jewish frontman Geddy Lee". The Times of Israel . Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  27. 1 2 3 Buttner, Christopher (November 1996). "Geddy Lee: The Reluctant Rockstar". prthatrocks.com. Bass Frontiers Magazine. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  28. ↑ Ivie, Devon (January 8, 2024). "Which Dumbass Thought They Could Replace Neil Peart in Rush?". Vulture.com . Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Red Sector A" (video)– via YouTube.
  30. 1 2 3 4 Tom Mulhern, Bass Heroes: Styles, Stories and Secrets of 30 Great Bass Players, Backbear Books (1993) p. 110
  31. ↑ 1bloocher (October 2, 2012). "Geddy Lee On Paul McCartney's Influence On His Bass Playing". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ↑ "Geddy Lee on Chris Squire's influence upon his own bass playing". YouTube. December 12, 2016. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
  33. ↑ Sharma, Amit (October 12, 2018). "Rush's Geddy Lee: these are the 10 bassists who blew my mind". musicradar.com. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bowman, Durrell (2015). Experiencing Rush: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 3–7.
  35. 1 2 3 4 Armbruster, Greg (September 1984). "Geddy Lee of Rush". Keyboard .
  36. ↑ mick curry (April 19, 2010), Geddy Lee Interview part 1 of 2, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved June 18, 2016
  37. ↑ "Rush's Geddy Lee on his Fender USA Geddy Lee Jazz Bass". YouTube . April 30, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  38. ↑ Rolling Stone, December 12, 1996
  39. ↑ Giles, Jeff (November 6, 2015). "Watch Rush Perform 'Tom Sawyer' From 'R40 Live'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  40. 1 2 Dr Licks. Standing in the Shadows of Motown, Hal Leonard Corp. (1989) p. 125
  41. ↑ Prato, Greg. "Geddy Lee: Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  42. ↑ Prato, Greg. "My Favourite Headache – Overview". Allmusic.com. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  43. ↑ "CD Reviews: Wireless - 'No Static'". Rocktopia. August 29, 2012. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  44. ↑ Geddy Lee's highest charting song is NOT a Rush song. November 20, 2023.
  45. ↑ ""Tears Are Not Enough" by Northern Lights". musiccanada.wordpress.com. May 30, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  46. ↑ "Geddy Lee: rock star and baseball fan". The Sporting News. April 13, 2007. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007.
  47. 1 2 3 "Virtual Songs – Side Projects". 2112.net. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  48. ↑ "Film, Television And Video Cameos". 2112.net. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  49. ↑ "Yes - Roundabout (Live at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2017 induction ceremony) - remastered audio - YouTube". YouTube . February 10, 2019.
  50. ↑ Cal Vid (April 29, 2017). "Yes Roundabout with Geddy Lee on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2017". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  51. ↑ Shaffer, Claire (April 27, 2020). "Justin Bieber, Geddy Lee and More Sing 'Lean on Me' in Bill Withers Tribute". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  52. ↑ "Geddy Lee". Rolling Stone Australia. July 2, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  53. ↑ Scarlett, Elizabeth (September 8, 2021). "Barenaked Ladies are working on a "secret project" with Geddy Lee". Louder Sound . Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  54. ↑ Friend, David (February 23, 2022). "Pinball Wizard: BNL's Ed Robertson on how his obsession inspired Rush arcade game". Toronto Star . Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  55. ↑ "RUSH's GEDDY LEE Plays Carriage Driver Named TOM SAWYER In 'Murdoch Mysteries'". blabermouth.net. March 17, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  56. ↑ Axelrod, Jim (December 3, 2023). "Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson on the band's next chapter - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  57. ↑ "Geddy Lee Book Tour". Rush.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  58. ↑ "Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too? - MTV - Watch on Paramount Plus". December 5, 2023 – via www.paramountplus.com.
  59. ↑ Bolton, Greg (April 2005). "A Wine Cellar That Rocks!". 2112.net. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  60. ↑ Von Bader, David (March 5, 2019). "Geddy Lee's Magnificent Obsession". Premier Guitar. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  61. ↑ Von Bader, David (August 15, 2019). "Geddy Lee: Clockwork Angel". wornandwound.com.
  62. 1 2 3 Berg, Ted (February 26, 2013). "Rush singer Geddy Lee expecting big year for Blue Jays". USA Today . Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  63. ↑ "Geddy Lee has an unlikely connection to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum". ca.sports.yahoo.com. October 23, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  64. ↑ Dent, Mark (June 6, 2008). "Geddy Lee Donates 200 Signed Negro League Baseballs". rushisaband.com. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  65. ↑ "Rush's Geddy Lee to throw out 1st pitch at Blue Jays opener". CBC News. The Canadian Press. March 27, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  66. ↑ Harkness, Geoff (November 30, 2000). "Seven questions with Geddy Lee". lawrence.com. Lawrence. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  67. ↑ Ted Andrews (November 26, 2011), Geddy Lee – Canadian National Anthem, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved February 6, 2018
  68. ↑ "Rush star Geddy Lee 'optimistic' over band's future". BBC . December 9, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  69. ↑ "Spotted behind home plate at Rogers Centre: Rush frontman Geddy Lee and his scorecard". MLB . October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  70. ↑ "Blue Jays will find all the cardboard trappings of home — and Home Plate Lady — at Buffalo's Sahlen Field. Geddy Lee, mascot Ace and the manager's boys are among some of the others whose cardboard cut-outs will play fans in the Jays' temporary home". Toronto Star . August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  71. ↑ Schiebel, Christopher D. (June 26, 2022). "Geddy Lee Bass Guitars and Gear List (2022 Update)". Guitar Lobby. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  72. ↑ Magnotta, Andrew (January 8, 2019). "Geddy Lee Reveals the Most-Prized Guitars in His Collection". iHeartMedia, Inc. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  73. ↑ Bienstock, Richard (September 24, 2019). "Geddy Lee to auction off 6 drool-worthy vintage guitars, including his '59 Les Paul". Guitar World. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  74. ↑ "Explore the signature instruments of Geddy Lee". faroutmagazine.co.uk. July 29, 2022.
  75. ↑ McIverpublished, Joel (October 17, 2023). ""I love the sound of the Rickenbacker, but I didn't sound like Chris Squire on it!" Geddy Lee on his Rick-O-Sound tone and 'crossing the floor' to Fender". guitarworld.
  76. ↑ "Fender Products: Geddy Lee Jazz Bass". Fender.com. January 22, 2010. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  77. ↑ "Fender Products: Geddy Lee Jazz Bass". Fender.com. January 22, 2010. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  78. ↑ "Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass". Fender.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  79. ↑ "USA Geddy Lee Jazz Bass®". Fender.
  80. ↑ [ dead link ]
  81. ↑ "Rush legend Geddy Lee, backs Rotosound Swing Bass strings". Archived from the original on August 11, 2020.
  82. ↑ "Wal Bass". Rush.com.
  83. ↑ "Geddy Lee endorses Orange Bass Amps". Rushisaband.com. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  84. ↑ Lee, Geddy. "The Snakes & Arrows Tour Book". 2112.net. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  85. 1 2 ""Rush Rolls Again", September 2002, OnStage Magazine".
  86. ↑ Peart, Neil Rush Backstage Club Newsletter, March 1990, via "Power Windows" Rush Fan Site Archived February 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  87. ↑ Graff, Gary (June 18, 2012). "Rush Bringing String Ensemble on Tour". Billboard . Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  88. ↑ "Geddy Lee Interview: Tech 21 GED-2112 - YouTube". YouTube . September 19, 2017.
  89. ↑ "Geddy Lee – Tech 21 NYC".
  90. ↑ Jamie Thomson. "Rush concert review: Wembley Arena, London. Friday, October 12, 2007.", The Guardian. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  91. ↑ "Asteroid (12272) Geddylee". June 13, 2011.
  92. ↑ "Past Recipients". Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  93. ↑ "Mr. Geddy Lee". gg.ca. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  94. ↑ "Web Exclusive Peek: The First Annual Bass Player Readers' Choice Awards". bassplayer.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  95. ↑ Herbert, Steven (June 25, 2010). "Rush Receives Walk of Fame Star". walkoffame. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  96. ↑ "Diamond Jubilee Gala toasts exceptional Canadians". CBC. June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  97. ↑ "Inductees by Year: 2013". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 29, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  98. ↑ Patuto, John (September 14, 2021). "Geddy Lee Honoured at Artists for Peace and Justice's Annual Gala". Cygnus-X1.net. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  99. ↑ Shekh, Mahammad Arsad (September 17, 2017). "Is Geddy Lee Happily Married To Nancy Young? Know About Their Love life & Children". famousstardom.com. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  100. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin (September 15, 2002). "Rush front man wants to put time on hold". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  101. ↑ "Rush frontman honoured by scholarship endowment". Decanter.com. November 27, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  102. ↑ A Show of Hands, HEEB, March 20, 2009

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.