Neil Peart - Rush Rock Drummer
Neil Peart is a Canadian-born drummer, lyricist, and author best known for his work with the rock band Rush. He grew up in Ontario, with a habit of drumming on things around the house with a pair of chopsticks. For his 13th birthday, his parents bought him a practice pad, a pair of drumsticks and some lessons, and that was the beginning of his drumming career.
As a teenager, he played with various local bands and dreamed of becoming a professional drummer. At eighteen he journeyed to London hoping to further his career as a professional drummer. It was a rather disappointing venture; he played with only a few bands and ended up going back home to Canada.
In 1974 he auditioned with the local Toronto band Rush. His future band mates described his arrival at the audition as somewhat humorous. Peart arrived in a battered old car, wearing shorts, with his drums stored in trashcans. Peart officially joined the band 2 weeks before the group’s first US tour. He bought a silver Slingerland kit to start. Peart settled in with Rush, and soon became the band’s main lyricist. He has played almost exclusively with Rush ever since.
Early on, Peart was influenced by great rock drummers such as Keith Moon and John Bonham. As time went on he began to lean towards jazz and big band drummers such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. He is also a pupil of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber.
Peart has received many awards for his work, and he is most known for his technical proficiency, stamina and his huge drum kit. He plays “butt-end out,” with his sticks reversed for greater impact and rim-shot capacity. “When I was starting out," Peart said, "if I broke the tips off my sticks I couldn't afford to buy new ones, so I would just turn them around and use the other end. I got used to it, and continue to use the heavy end of lighter sticks - it gives me a solid impact, but with less 'dead weight' to sling around."
Peart has played Slingerland, Tama, Ludwig and Drum Workshop drums, along with Zildjian and Paragon cymbals. In concert, he uses a huge 360-degree rotating drum kit, with a traditional set in the front and electronic drums in the rear. It has become part of his trademark during performances to swap from the traditional kit in front to the electronic in back, the drum riser automatically rotating during his solos.
Peart’s drum solos during Rush concerts are widely regarded as some of the best in rock music. He is known for long, intricate drum solos with odd time signatures, complex arrangements and exotic percussion intruments.
In addition to being a musician and lyricist, Peart is also a writer, publishing several travelogues. He has also published science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy works, as well as books covering multiple other themes.