Neil Peart, a member of the famous rock band Rush, was born on September 12th, 1952, in Hamilton, Canada.
Peart was the drummer for Rush, a Canadian progressive rock band that rose to stardom in the 70s and 80s. The band formed in 1968, but he did not join until 1974 when he replaced John Rutsey. Peart’s time and career as a musician began in his teens, so let us dive right in!
Like his bandmate Alex Lifeson, Peart’s introduction to playing instruments was more classical. He began by taking piano lessons, which never truly piqued his interest. His passion was drumming; he would use chopsticks to bang on various household objects. After receiving a practice drum for his thirteenth birthday, he began to take inspiration from legends like Keith moon and Phil Collins.
Peart started playing in local bands during his late teens. These bands played small shows in the local and surrounding towns. By age 18, his success as a drummer was dismal, so he moved to London, England, in hopes of finding success. But this too was unfruitful. Eighteen months later, he moved back to Canada and put his music career on hold.
His move back to Canada brought him the break he wanted; he began drumming for the local band Hush. Shortly after this, he was invited to audition for Rush! Peart was to become the replacement for the original drummer and co-founder John Rutsey. In 1974 Peart joined Rush only two weeks before their first U.S. tour.
Fly by Night was the Peart’s first album with the band, and it gained moderate success, earning the Juno Award for Most Promising New Act. The following album, Caress of Steel, did not receive the same praise, which inspired Peart to write the hit 2112.
Despite their success, Peart would refer to the first few years with the band as a dark tunnel. This was due to the strenuous recording and touring schedule.
The 80s were undoubtedly some of the best years for Rush, and during this time, Peart and his Rush bandmates would release hits like,
- Jacob’s Ladder (1980)
- Tom Sawyer (1981)
- Limelight (1981)
- New World Man (1982)
- Time Stand Still (1987)
The 90s were no different, Rush released over five albums, and Peart worked on several Buddy Rich tribute projects. But tragedy struck Peart in 1997 and 1998.
August 10th, 1997, tragedy struck the Peart family. Selena Taylor Peart, Neil Peart’s daughter, was involved in a car accident that took her life. This, unfortunately, would not be the only tragedy Peart faced in the late 90s. On June 20th, 1998, Peart’s wife Jacqueline Taylor, passed away after battling cancer.
Following their passings, Peart traveled through North and Central America on his motorcycle; consequently, Rush took a hiatus. He wrote a book about this titled Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.
Peart returned to the band after his travels and released Vapor Trails in 2002, Rush’s 20th album. He went onto release over ten more albums with the band; before announcing his retirement in 2015.
To many, Neil Peart is regarded as the greatest drummer of all time. His long and lustrous career set a high industry standard. Peart passed away from Glioblastoma on January 7th, 2020. He is dearly missed by all of us fans.