John Rutsey

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John Rutsey (born 1953) was a founding member of Rush along with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. He was the band's drummer from spring 1968 to July, 1974. Rutsey played only on the "Not Fade Away"/"You Can't Fight It" single and the eponymous debut LP, after which he quit the band, citing health reasons and creative differences.

Rutsey's parting is considered pivotal by Rush fans, as the band's style then changed from Led Zeppelinesque blues-rock to progressive rock. His permanent replacement, Neil Peart, became the primary lyricist, and contributed a very different drumming style that is one of the band's defining and popular characteristics.

In a 1989 Rockline interview, Alex Lifeson remarked, "John's still around. I see John quite often. He gave up playing shortly after he left the band and went into bodybuilding. He competed on an amateur level for a while, doing that for a few years, and has sort of been in and out of that, but he still works out, and I work out with him a few times a week at a local gym - at a Gold's, here in Toronto." In a recent interview on the VH1 Classic show "Hangin' With," Alex revealed that he had quit seeing John around 1990.

Rush
Geddy Lee | Alex Lifeson | Neil Peart
John Rutsey
Discography
Albums: Rush | Fly by Night | Caress of Steel | 2112 | All the World's a Stage | A Farewell to Kings | Hemispheres | Permanent Waves | Moving Pictures | Exit...Stage Left | Signals | Grace Under Pressure | Power Windows | Hold Your Fire | A Show of Hands | Presto | Roll the Bones | Counterparts | Test for Echo | Different Stages | Vapor Trails | Rush in Rio | Feedback (EP)
Compilations: Archives | Chronicles | Retrospective I | Retrospective II | The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987 | Gold
Related articles
The Rush Portal Rush discography | Rush music videos | History of Rush | Rush instrumentals | Victor | My Favorite Headache | A Work In Progress | Anatomy of A Drum Solo | "Fear" Series | Cygnus X-1 Series
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