Canadian heavy rock band formed by Geddy Lee (bass, vocals), Alex Lifeson (guitar) and John Rutsey (drums). In 1973, they recorded a version of Buddy Holly’s ‘Not Fade Away’ as their debut release. Neil Peart (drums), who became the band’s main songwriter, replaced Rutsey. ‘2112’ (1976) was based on the work of novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand.

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Their most popular 70s offerings, ‘A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres’, saw Peart finally dispense with his ‘epic’ songwriting style. In 1980 their hit single ‘The Spirit Of Radio’ took them beyond their loyal following and in live shows Lifeson and lee added keyboards for a fuller sound. ‘Moving Pictures’ was a fusion of technological rock and musical craft, but subsequently inspiration waned. With ‘Hold Your Fire’ (1987) they proved they could still scale their former heights. In 1994 the band agreed to a break for the first time in their career, during which Lifeson worked on his Victor side project. They returned in 1996 with ‘Test For Echo’.

After wrapping up the tour promoting “Teach For Echo” in 1997, the band entered a five-year hiatus mainly due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. Peart's daughter Selena died in an automobile accident in August 1997, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer in June 1998. Peart took a hiatus to mourn and reflect, during which time he traveled extensively throughout North America on his BMW motorcycle, covering 88,000 km (55,000 miles). At some point in his journey, Peart decided to return to the band. Peart wrote “Ghost Rider: Travels On The Healing Road” as a chronicle of his geographical and emotional journey. In this book he writes of how he had told his band mates at Selena's funeral, "consider me retired." On 10^th November 1998 a triple CD live album entitled “Different Stages” was released, dedicated to the memory of Selena and Jacqueline.  On 16^th February 2006, Lifeson remarked that the band may begin working on a new album in the fall of 2009.

Mathew Jones

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