Biography
Although all three members of Rush have long been recognized for their instrumental mastery, guitarist Alex Lifeson is routinely regarded as the most overlooked. Born Alex Zivojinovich on August 27, 1953, in Fernie, Canada, to Yugoslavian immigrant parents, he was raised in Toronto and received his first guitar as a Christmas present at age 13. Soon afterward he absorbed rock & roll through the familiar channels of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, among others, and began playing informally with local drummer John Rutsey. By the late ’60s bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee had joined, and the trio concentrated on mastering cover versions of Cream, Led Zeppelin, and the Who. They gradually cultivated a regional audience before turning to original material that initially echoed the bands they had covered most extensively, especially Zeppelin. The group secured a deal with Polygram, which reissued their independently released self-titled debut in 1973. Rutsey departed shortly thereafter, and his replacement, Neil Peart, supplied both exceptional drumming and distinctive lyric-writing talent.
Several albums were required before the revised lineup coalesced; the pivotal 1976 release 2112 launched Rush on a trajectory that would rank them among hard rock’s most commercially successful acts worldwide. Throughout that sequence of landmark recordings Lifeson’s guitar work stood out on tracks such as “Xanadu” from 1977’s A Farewell to Kings, “La Villa Strangiato” from 1978’s Hemispheres, “Freewill” from 1980’s Permanent Waves, and “YYZ” from 1981’s Moving Pictures. The band continued global touring and chart success in the ’80s, yet Lifeson’s role receded as the group explored denser, synthesizer-driven textures. In the ’90s Rush returned to more direct hard-rock arrangements, restoring prominence to Lifeson’s guitar, notably on 1993’s Counterparts. Mid-decade he pursued the one-off project Victor, whose self-titled album appeared in 1996 and featured Primus bassist Les Claypool and I Mother Earth vocalist Edwin. Beyond Rush he has contributed to sessions by Platinum Blonde on 1985’s Alien Shores, Tom Cochrane on 1995’s Ragged Ass Road, and 3 Doors Down on the 2001 bonus-CD reissue of The Better Life. Outside music he operates the small invention firm The Omega Concern and is a co-owner of Toronto’s The Orbit Room restaurant.
Several albums were required before the revised lineup coalesced; the pivotal 1976 release 2112 launched Rush on a trajectory that would rank them among hard rock’s most commercially successful acts worldwide. Throughout that sequence of landmark recordings Lifeson’s guitar work stood out on tracks such as “Xanadu” from 1977’s A Farewell to Kings, “La Villa Strangiato” from 1978’s Hemispheres, “Freewill” from 1980’s Permanent Waves, and “YYZ” from 1981’s Moving Pictures. The band continued global touring and chart success in the ’80s, yet Lifeson’s role receded as the group explored denser, synthesizer-driven textures. In the ’90s Rush returned to more direct hard-rock arrangements, restoring prominence to Lifeson’s guitar, notably on 1993’s Counterparts. Mid-decade he pursued the one-off project Victor, whose self-titled album appeared in 1996 and featured Primus bassist Les Claypool and I Mother Earth vocalist Edwin. Beyond Rush he has contributed to sessions by Platinum Blonde on 1985’s Alien Shores, Tom Cochrane on 1995’s Ragged Ass Road, and 3 Doors Down on the 2001 bonus-CD reissue of The Better Life. Outside music he operates the small invention firm The Omega Concern and is a co-owner of Toronto’s The Orbit Room restaurant.
Albums
