Geddy Lee, a member of the famous rock band Rush, was born on July 29th, 1953, in Willowdale, Toronto, Canada.
Lee is the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboard player for Rush, a Canadian progressive rock band which rose to stardom in the 70s and 80s. The talented singer joined Rush per the request of childhood friend Alex Lifeson and also replaced Jeff Jones on bass. His time and career as a musician stem from the time he was in high school! There’s a lot to cover; let us get to it!
Lee’s introduction to playing music was in school, right on the brink of his pre-teens! At age 14, he got his first guitar and would soon start taking basic piano lessons. Also, around this time, Lee took an interest in some famous rock bands of the time. His inspirations were the likes of Cream and The Who.
In 1969 the year following Lee’s joining of Rush, the band started playing at coffeehouses, local outdoor events, and even some high school dances. Two years later, they gained momentum and began playing in clubs and bars. It was hard work; when referencing this time, Lee says the group was a couple of weekend warriors. They slowly climbed to stardom in the years following, as they began opening for bands like the New York Dolls, Aerosmith, and Kiss.
Lee is well-known for his work in Rush, and has contributed to hit albums including,
- 2112 (1976)
- A Farewell To Kings (1977)
- Permanent Waves (1980)
- Roll The Bones (1991)
- Clockwork Angels (2012)
But it would be a crime if we did not acknowledge Lee’s various contributions to the music industry outside of Rush. Lee produced the only album released from Boys Brigade in 1982. Three years later, he took part in the We Are The World album, recording guest vocals on the song Tears Are Not Enough. He has even made a cameo appearance on the TV series How I Met Your Mother, and in 2018 he published his book Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass.
Outside of his creative endeavors, Lee enjoys collecting wine, watches, and is a loyal baseball fan. He enjoys teams, including the Detroit Tigers and the Toronto Blue Jays. Lee has also done some personal philanthropic work, supporting the foundation Grapes for Humanity, which later created a scholarship in his name. The scholarship is for the winemaking students of Niagara College.
Geddy Lee is not only a talented vocalist and musician but an overall interesting guy. So talented, he has his own guitar collaboration with Fender, released in 1998, which you can still purchase today! Lee was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 along with his Rush bandmates. Out of all the remaining members of Rush, Lee appears to be the most active creatively. We all cannot wait to see what he does next!