The group Rush started in 1968 in Willowdale, a suburb of Toronto. The band members were guitarist Alex Lifeson, who was only 15 at that time, bassist Jeff Jones and drummer John Rutsey. Shortly after, one of Lifeson’s friends, Geddy Lee (vocals, bassist and keyboardist), replaced Jones’ in the group.

In the years that followed, the trio played in local bars. Despite their efforts, they were not able to sign on with a record label. The group decided to create their own company, Moon Records. In the spring of 1974, the group released their first self-titled album which had a blues/rock genre inspired by Led Zeppelin, Cream and Deep Purple. The song Working Man atttracted the attention of a radio station in Cleveland. The album was then picked up by Mercury Records, which helped Rush to pierce the American music industry.

Two weeks prior to the group’s first American tour, John Rutsey left the group for health reasons. Neil Peart (drummer and lyricist) was recruited in July 1974.  This change in band members did not prevent the group from winning a Juno award for Most Promising Group. 

In 1975, Rush released their second album, the first album with Peart as a new band member. The lyrics of the tracks in Fly By Night had a science-fiction touch. The group continued writing music and released another album, Caress of Steel, the same year. Mercury Records told the group to have a sound that was more consumer friendly and accessible.

The group did not really want to conform and in 1976, they released the album 2112. It was the first platinum album in Canada. It is considered one of the albums that marked the group’s career. In September of the same year, the group came out with an album recorded on stage…All the World’s a Stage.

The group continued their musical exploration and made it to the progressive music scene. In 1997, Rush released A Farewell to Kings, which was the first album to be certified gold in the United States. The following year, the album Hemispheres followed.

In 1980, the group made a breakthrough with a sound that was more popular. The group released the album, Permanent Waves, with shorter tracks, and used more synthesizers. Peart’s lyrics were more social. The songs The Spirit of Radio and Freewill helped the group hit the top 5 in the United States.

In 1981, the group launched Moving Pictures which had the singles Tom Sawyer and Limelight. The album was in 3rd position on the Billboards. It was the best-seller in the group’s history and has been certified 4x platinum. There was a live album, Exit…Stage Left,  that came out in September of the same year.

In 1982, the group gave Geddy Lee and the keyboards a lot of room in the album Signals. The single Subdivisions set the tone for the rest of the album. The group kept writing and recording albums. In 1984, the album Pressure was released, in 1985, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire in 1987. The musicians used a lot more electronics in these last three albums.

Rush ended their contract with Mercury Records in 1989, shortly after the third live album, A Show of Hands, which was greatly appreciated by fans. The group then signed with Atlantic and decided to once again change their sound putting the emphasis on Lifeson’s guitar for the albums Presto (1989) and Roll the Bones (1991). Counterparts (1993) and Test for Echo (1996), reflected the alternative rock sound of that decade.

In 1997, Neil Peart decided to leave the group after the tragic death of his daughter and his partner the same year. The following year Atlantic launched a triple album, Different Stages, dedicated to the two people that passed. In 2001, after remarrying, Peart told Lifeson that he wanted to reunite with the group. They released the album Vapor Trails in the spring of 2002. In 2003, another triple live album came out entitled, Rush in Rio.

Over the years Rush influenced many musicians and groups such as Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins, Primus and Dream Theater. The group has been known for a long time to have made their name as an innovative band.

Rush was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994. They won many Juno awards during their musical career. They are estimated at having sold more than 40 million albums around the world. In fact, they are placed in the same category as longstanding groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Kiss and Aerosmith.

The group released their 18th album, Snakes & Arrows, in the spring of 2007. They then started a world tour.