![]() ![]() Songs like “Tom Sawyer,” which features arguably the most air-drummed-to fills in rock history, began to secure serious time on the FM airwaves. But where their music fit in the genre was considered niche, art or performance rock, conceptual. After a few albums, fans expected intricate drum fills weaved into Rush songs, and awaited the chance to attend concerts to watch the monstrous solos live. That’s not to say other prog drummers like Phil Collins, Bill Bruford and Carl Palmer hadn’t written and performed equally as complex drum parts prior to Peart. But just as how jazz was once viewed as an illegitimate genre of music before a number of the genre’s greats made its importance undeniable, Rush’s music and Neil Peart’s solos helped popularize prog, beginning with the release of the epic 2112 in 1976. Prog albums from bands like Genesis and King Crimson existed in a space occupied by a cadre of predominantly nerdy men and still wasn’t accepted as popular. It was this bravura that earned him the nickname “The Professor,” for his mastery of the craft, influential lyrics and elevation of the drum solo.ĭuring the ‘60s and early ‘70s, popular rock was compositionally straightforward, and heavily influenced by the blues. 7) at the age of 67 after a three-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer, solos were an opportunity for rock drummers to showcase loud, fast chops and energize the crowd - championed by Peart’s childhood hero, Keith Moon of The Who. But with an approach centered on musicality and technical proficiency, Peart elevated expectations for proficiency of the drums and soloing. Though critical acclaim largely eluded them in their own time, the band essentially outlived their critics, and in 2012 Rush were finally invited into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - inducted by Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, one of the group’s countless mainstream modern-day acolytes.Prior to Peart, who died Tuesday (Jan. The trio’s mainstream appeal dwindled over the course of the ’80s and into the following decades, but they soldiered on as international road warriors, regularly selling out arenas and stadiums across the globe and staying together up until Peart’s retirement in 2015. The two sets sold well and together spawned classic rock standards like “The Spirit of Radio,” “Limelight” and “Tom Sawyer,” emphasizing both the group’s highly melodic and anthemic songwriting and their peerless instrumentation, including Peart’s iconic drum fills in “Sawyer” and the oft-imitated instrumental “YYZ.” ![]() Rush’s most successful period would come early in the next decade, though, with the release of 1980’s Permanent Waves and 1981’s Moving Pictures - the latter giving the group their first chart-topping album in their home country. The most successful of these efforts was 1976’s 2112, whose 20-minute opening title suite took up the record’s entire first side and set new standards for classical composition in late-’70s arena rock. It made the top five on the Canadian albums chart and was ultimately certified triple-platinum by the RIAA in the U.S. The trio would record five albums over the next half-decade, spanning from 1975’s Fly by Night to 1978’s Hemispheres, building the band’s cult reputation at home and abroad. Peart’s drumming style, both manic and intricate, would also help come to define the band’s virtuosic prog-rock sound. Though Lee had written the lyrics on the group’s first album with Rutsey, he happily ceded the role to Peart, whose songwriting focus was heavily influenced by his studies of objectivist Ayn Rand while he had lived in England. at 18 to make it as a professional musician, he returned to Canada, where in 1974 he auditioned for singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson to replace John Rutsey as drummer for the band Rush.Īfter a rocky audition, the duo decided to give Peart a chance, and the new trio started playing live gigs just weeks later. Neil Peart Septem– /NivX2RhiB8īorn in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1952, Peart became infatuated with music at an early age and started playing the drums after his parents bought him a pair of drum sticks for his 13th birthday. “Rest in peace brother,” the statement concludes. Katharine McPhee & David Foster Talk 'Christmas Songs' & Recording Together for First Time Since…
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