Remembering Neil Peart of Rush

In honor of Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist of Canadian rock band Rush, morning host George Knight wrote his thoughts on the life and legacy of this legendary rocker:

The world has had a lot of rock star drummers, who are admired by their fans and have even inspired kids to become drummers.

And then there was Neil Peart (pronounced "Peert" by the way).

His highly technical, incredibly precise drumming put power into the power trio known as Rush. His fans didn't just think Neil was cool… they also really listened to his drumming. They dissected every fill and tried to follow every complex move that Neil put down. Neil Peart was a drummer's drummer, with his ridiculously huge drum kit and complex, shifting time signatures, which made Rush songs hard to dance to, but really interesting to listen to.

Neil was also the main lyricist for the band, and he approached wording their songs the same way he approached his drumming. Sure, the lyrics were complex and had unusual references (Red Barchetta), but they were that way by design, and they were well thought out and well-executed. I'll admit it took me a while to warm up to Rush. But once I did, I got it. I understood why Neil Peart (and Geddy and Alex too) was absolutely obsessed with honing his craft. If ever there was an example of practice makes perfect, it was Neil Peart.

We lost a great musician when Neil Peart passed, but his passing won't stop future generations of budding drummers from discovering the music of Rush, and thinking, "I want to play like that guy." -GK

We'll dig into some of Neil Peart's best playing during this Throwback Thursday, 1/16, at 5 pm