Geddy Lee Weinrib, (born Gary Lee Weinrib; July 29, 1953), known professionally as Geddy Lee, is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter.
Lee is ranked 13th by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalists of All Time. ==Early life== Lee was born on July 29, 1953, in the North York neighbourhood of Willowdale, Toronto, to Morris Weinrib (1920–1965), from Ostrowce, and Manya (now Mary) Rubenstein, who was born in Warsaw and later grew up in Wierzbnik.
Lee joined what would become Rush in September 1968, at the request of his childhood friend Alex Lifeson, replacing original bassist and frontman Jeff Jones.
"That's how I learned to play bass, emulating Jack Bruce and people like that." Bruce's style of music was also noticed by Lee, who liked that "his sound was distinctive – it wasn't boring." Lee has also been influenced by Paul McCartney, Chris Squire, and James Jamerson. In 1969, Rush began playing professionally in coffeehouses, high school dances and at various outdoor recreational events.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Lee mostly used a Rickenbacker 4001 bass, with a very noticeable grit in his tone.
By 1971, they were now playing primarily original songs in small clubs and bars, including Toronto's Gasworks and Abbey Road Pub.
By 1972, Rush began performing full-length concerts, mainly consisting of original songs, in cities including Toronto and Detroit.
This signature model is a recreation of Lee's favourite bass, a 1972 Fender Jazz that he bought in a pawn shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1978.
In 2015, Fender released a revised USA model of his signature bass. In Rush's early years, Lee's main instrument was a Fender Precision Bass, which he used on the band's debut album in 1974.
This peaked on the 2002 album Vapor Trails, Rush's first since 1975's Caress of Steel not to feature any keyboards or synthesizers.
Lee began adding synthesizers in 1977, with the release of A Farewell to Kings.
This signature model is a recreation of Lee's favourite bass, a 1972 Fender Jazz that he bought in a pawn shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1978.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Lee mostly used a Rickenbacker 4001 bass, with a very noticeable grit in his tone.
In 1981, he won Keyboard magazine's poll as "Best New Talent." By the 1984 album Grace Under Pressure, Lee was surrounding himself with stacks of keyboards on stage. By the 1980s, Rush had become one of the "biggest rock bands on the planet", selling out arena seats when touring.
According to music critic Tom Mulhern, writing in 1980, "it's dazzling to see so much sheer energy expended without a nervous breakdown." By 1996, their Test for Echo Tour began performing without an opening act, their shows lasting nearly three hours. Music industry writer Christopher Buttner, who interviewed Lee in 1996, described him as a prodigy and "role model" for what every musician wants to be, noting his proficiency on stage.
While Rush has had great success selling albums, "Take Off" is the highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 of Lee's career. In 1980, Lee was brought in to produce Toronto-based band Wireless who had previously opened up for Rush and were on the verge of breaking up.
In the 1980s, Lee began reading the works of Bill James, particularly The Bill James Baseball Abstracts, which led to an interest in sabermetrics and participation in a fantasy baseball keeper league.
In 1981, he won Keyboard magazine's poll as "Best New Talent." By the 1984 album Grace Under Pressure, Lee was surrounding himself with stacks of keyboards on stage. By the 1980s, Rush had become one of the "biggest rock bands on the planet", selling out arena seats when touring.
In 1981, Lee was the featured guest for the hit song "Take Off" and its included comedic commentary with Bob and Doug McKenzie (played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, respectively) for the McKenzie Brothers' comedy album Great White North.
With Lee at the helm, the group recorded their third and final album, No Static, released on Rush's label, Anthem Records. In 1982, Lee produced the first (and only) album from Toronto's new wave band Boys Brigade.
The song, for which Lee wrote the music, was released on the band's 1984 album Grace Under Pressure.
In 1981, he won Keyboard magazine's poll as "Best New Talent." By the 1984 album Grace Under Pressure, Lee was surrounding himself with stacks of keyboards on stage. By the 1980s, Rush had become one of the "biggest rock bands on the planet", selling out arena seats when touring.
On the 1985 album We Are the World, by humanitarian consortium USA for Africa, Lee recorded guest vocals for the song "Tears Are Not Enough".
From 1993's Counterparts onward, Lee began using the Fender Jazz Bass almost exclusively, returning to his trademark high treble sound.
Lee sang the Canadian national anthem before the 1993 MLB All-Star Game.
Combined, these electronic devices have supplied many memorable keyboard sounds, such as the "growl" in "Tom Sawyer" and the percussive melody in the chorus of "The Spirit of Radio." Beginning with the 1993 album Counterparts, Rush reduced most keyboard- and synthesizer-derived sounds in their compositions.
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.
According to music critic Tom Mulhern, writing in 1980, "it's dazzling to see so much sheer energy expended without a nervous breakdown." By 1996, their Test for Echo Tour began performing without an opening act, their shows lasting nearly three hours. Music industry writer Christopher Buttner, who interviewed Lee in 1996, described him as a prodigy and "role model" for what every musician wants to be, noting his proficiency on stage.
Faced with the dilemma of what to do with the empty space left behind by the lack of large amplifier cabinets, Lee chose to decorate his side of the stage with unusual items. For the 1996–1997 Test for Echo Tour, Lee's side sported a fully stocked old-fashioned household refrigerator.
I'm a Jewish atheist, if that's possible." ==Equipment used== Lee has varied his equipment list continually throughout his career. ===Basses=== In 1998, Fender released the Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, available in Black and 3-Color Sunburst (as of 2009).
Lee's solo effort, My Favourite Headache, was released in 2000. An award-winning musician, Lee's style, technique, and skill on the bass have inspired many rock musicians such as Cliff Burton of Metallica, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, John Myung of Dream Theater, Les Claypool of Primus, and Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave.
This peaked on the 2002 album Vapor Trails, Rush's first since 1975's Caress of Steel not to feature any keyboards or synthesizers.
For live shows in 2002 and 2004, Lee and his keyboard technician used the playback capabilities of the XV-5080 to generate virtually all of Rush's keyboard sounds to date and additional complex sound passages that previously required several machines at once to produce. When playing live, Lee and his bandmates recreate their songs as accurately as possible with digital samplers.
For the 2002 Vapor Trails tour, Lee lined his side of the stage with three coin-operated Maytag dryers.
For live shows in 2002 and 2004, Lee and his keyboard technician used the playback capabilities of the XV-5080 to generate virtually all of Rush's keyboard sounds to date and additional complex sound passages that previously required several machines at once to produce. When playing live, Lee and his bandmates recreate their songs as accurately as possible with digital samplers.
In 2006, Lee joined Lifeson's supergroup, the Big Dirty Band, to provide songs accompanying The Movie. In 2013, Lee made a brief cameo appearance as himself in the How I Met Your Mother season eight episode "P.S.
On the 2007 album Snakes & Arrows, Lee sparingly adds a Mellotron and bass pedals.
I'm a Jewish atheist, if that's possible." ==Equipment used== Lee has varied his equipment list continually throughout his career. ===Basses=== In 1998, Fender released the Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, available in Black and 3-Color Sunburst (as of 2009).
For the 2010–2011 Time Machine Tour, Lee's side of the stage featured a steampunk-inspired combination Time Machine and Sausage Maker.
In 2011, a charitable foundation he supports, Grapes for Humanity, created the Geddy Lee Scholarship for winemaking students at Niagara College. He is also a longtime baseball fan.
During the 2012–2013 Clockwork Angels Tour, Lee used a different steampunk device called a "Geddison" as a backdrop.
In 2013, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after 14 years of eligibility; they were nominated overwhelmingly in the Hall's first selection via fan ballot.
In 2006, Lee joined Lifeson's supergroup, the Big Dirty Band, to provide songs accompanying The Movie. In 2013, Lee made a brief cameo appearance as himself in the How I Met Your Mother season eight episode "P.S.
He collects baseball memorabilia, once donating part of his collection to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and threw the ceremonial first pitch to inaugurate the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays season.
In 2015, Fender released a revised USA model of his signature bass. In Rush's early years, Lee's main instrument was a Fender Precision Bass, which he used on the band's debut album in 1974.
For the R40 Tour in 2015, four dryers were used instead of three for the show's portions that featured them onstage. The Snakes & Arrows Tour prominently featured three Henhouse brand rotisserie chicken ovens on stage complete with an attendant in a chef's hat and apron to "tend" the chickens during shows.
In 2016, Lee planned to produce an independent film about baseball in Italy. Lee has described himself as a Jewish atheist, explaining to an interviewer, "I consider myself a Jew as a race, but not so much as a religion.
He used his Fender Jazz Bass alongside the Rickenbacker on the albums Permanent Waves (1980), Moving Pictures (1981) and Signals (1982) before moving to it exclusively from Counterparts (1993) until Rush's dissolution in 2018.
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