Geddy Lee

Biography

Source http://www.fender.com/en-GB/artists/profile/GeddyLee/

Geddy Lee hardly needs introduction. After 30 years as bassist/vocalist for venerable Canadian power trio Rush, Lee can genuinely claim "exalted" status among bass players worldwide, and he remains an influential and respected musician as Rush enters its fourth decade.

Lee started playing as a teenager, strongly influenced by the era's holy trinity of influential U.K. bassists—the Who's John Entwhistle, Cream's Jack Bruce and Yes's Chris Squire. With childhood friend Alex Lifeson, he formed Rush in 1968 as a heavily Zep-influenced blues-rock band. Neil Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey shortly after the release of the band's eponymous 1974 debut album, and Rush promptly headed in more progressive musical directions, touring relentlessly all the while.

1976's concept album 2112 was a hit; the start of a remerkable string of prog-rock classics including A Farewell to Kings (1977), Hemispheres (1978) and the poppier Permanent Waves (1980). 1981 saw the release of Moving Pictures, which contained the band's biggest hit, the classic rock staple "Tom Sawyer." Rush had by now become one of the world's top-selling and top-drawing rock acts.

Rush explored poppier but still musically demanding musical ground throughout the '80s, continuing to release hit albums and embark on sold-out arena tours. They returned to a more stripped-down rock trio sound in the '90s and remained as successful as ever; in 1996 Lee, Lifeson and Peart became the first rock musicians to be made officers of the Order of Canada. Lee released his first and only solo album to date, 2000's My Favorite Headache, while the group was on a six-year hiatus that ended with 2002's Vapor Trails. 2003 live album and DVD Rush In Rio was a massive success, as was the band's 2005 30-year retrospective/concert DVD R30. May 2007 saw the release of Snakes and Arrows, the band's 19th studio album.

Lee is universally regarded as one of rock's finest and most inventive bassists; a diverse list of players have long cited him as a major influence, including Les Claypool (Primus), the late Cliff Burton (Metallica), John Myung (Dream Theater) and Frank Bello (Anthrax). Fender introduced its Artist Series Geddy Lee Jazz Bass® guitar in 1998.



Visit Geddy Lee and Rush online at www.rush.com.

Source: http://www.fender.com/en-GB/artists/profile/GeddyLee/