Geddy Lee

Geddy Lee
OC
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 Weinrib OC (/ˈɡɛdi ˈliː ˈwaɪnrɪb/; 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.

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]

  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. ^ [1] [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. ^ "CLIFF BURTON R.I.P. - 1986". metallicaworld.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  8. ^ "Steve Harris Biography". ironmiaden.webvis.net. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
  9. ^ "John Myung on being named greatest bassist of all time". musicradar.com. September 28, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  10. ^ "You Say It's Your Birthday: Les Claypool of Primus in Addicted to Noise, September 1997". www.ram.org.
  11. ^ "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.