This Day in Music Special
January 7th
A tremendous loss on this day in music.
In Memoriam
2020: Legendary Canadian musician, lyricist, and author, Neil Peart, dies of complications from glioblastoma. He had been diagnosed three years earlier and had kept his illness confidential. Only his family and closest friends knew. It wasn’t until three days later, on January 10, 2020, that the news of his death was released to the public. He lived in Santa Monica, CA with his wife Carrie Nuttal, and daughter Olivia Peart, and was only 67 years old.
Most famous as the drummer and principal lyricist for hard-rock/prog-rock band Rush, Peart retired from Rock and Roll in 2015 due to the rigours of touring, along with chronic tendinitis and a desire to spend more time with his family.
Known for his precise and powerful playing style, epic-length compositional solos, and masterful technique, Neil was considered to be among the very best drummers in the rock and prog genres, often topping “best” and “favourite” lists by critics and audiences.
His voracious appetite for reading, vast knowledge of many subjects, and playful sense of humour earned him the nicknames of “Bubba” from his bandmates, and “The Professor” from his fans.
Peart took-up drumset as an instrument at age 13 after originally taking piano lessons, playing in local bands in the St. Catharines area of Ontario until he finished high school. He moved to England to pursue a music career, but did not find success, so he returned to Canada, where he auditioned for Rush in 1974 and almost instantly won the role. He replaced original drummer John Rutsey, who appears on the band’s first album, but did not enjoy the touring lifestyle. The addition of Neil Peart to Rush enabled the band to transition from a blues-based heavy rock outfit to their preferred genre of prog-rock, and relieved Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of the need to write lyrics. Classics among the band’s 19 studio albums include “2112,” “A Farewell to Kings,” “Hemispheres,” “Permanent Waves,” “Moving Pictures,” “Grace Under Pressure,” “Presto,” and “Clockwork Angels,” plus eleven contemporary live albums.
Peart was a virtuoso of drumming, a craft he plied on his famous drumsets, including the classic candy-apple red Tama Artstar and later in his career, a Drum Workshop Collector’s Series with Roland V-drums attached to designer shells that created a full circle of percussive instruments, all mounted on a 360-degree rotating platform. Ever-conscious of technique, Neil reinvented his mechanics, rudiments, and playing style, studying with legendary jazz instructor Freddie Gruber in the 1990’s.
His lyrics reflected interests in science fiction, fantasy, criticism of power and greed, and Ayn Rand’s individualist philosophy, though he was clear to point out that he was not an Objectivist himself. Rand’s novella, Anthem, was his inspiration for the lyrics to “2112.” Over time, his writing evolved into more personal and humanitarian content, including metaphorical commentary on social and political issues.
Peart’s first of seven non-fiction books chronicled his cycling adventures in Cameroon, titled The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa. Working with writing partner, Kevin J. Anderson, Neil also wrote the fictional short story, Drumbeats, and a series of short stories novelized from the lyrics of Rush’s final album, the concept piece, “Clockwork Angels.”
In 1997, Peart suffered a profound loss when his 19-year old daughter Selena died in a car accident, and then his common-law wife Jacqueline died less than a year later from cancer. He took a long sabbatical from professional music, during which time he traveled solo on his BMW motorcycle as a means of healing, covering over 88,000 kms throughout North and Central America. During this hiatus, he wrote and published a deeply-personal work of non-fiction, modelled after his first book and titled Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.
The motorcycle trip was the catharsis he needed, and in 2001, he rejoined Rush, enjoying another 14 years of writing, recording and performing.
Neil Peart has rightfully earned several awards and honours, including:
38 individual Modern Drummer Magazine Readers’ Poll Awards for such accomplishments as Best Rock Drummer, Best Instructional Video, Best Recorded Performance, and the magazine’s Hall of Fame;
Four individual awards presented by DRUM! magazine;
Officer of the Order of Canada;
Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame;
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Rush;
Honorary Doctorate of Music from Nipissing University in Ontario;
The City of St. Catharines renamed the pavilion at Lakeside Park to Neil Peart Pavilion (Peart famously wrote the song, “Lakeside Park,” about the times he enjoyed there as a youth);
A memorial bronze statue was constructed of Neil Peart outside the pavilion;
Inducted into the Percussive Arts Hall of Fame;
Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology named an extinct genus of frogfish Neilpeartia after the famous drummer (my personal favourite.)
In Closing
When it comes to writing, I’m strictly amateur and cannot do Neil justice. For a beautifully-written, professional biography of Neil Peart, please read this article by Annie Zaleski at NPR.org.
Picture 1: Neil Peart on his “blackrome”-wrapped Slingerland drumset with myriad accompanying percussion instruments, including glockenspiel, wind chimes, temple blocks, cowbells, and tubular bells with concert chimes (not pictured but they’re there!) c.1977.
Picture 2: Neil Peart entangled in his DW Collector’s Series “Time Machine” drumset with Roland V-drums completing the circle, c.2011. Many of his percussion accessories, such as glockenspiel and tubular bells, were replaced by the MIDI-instrument, MalletKat, visible to Neil’s lower left. (MIDI means “musical instrument digital interface”)
Video: Neil performing on his Time Machine drumset live on The Late Show with David Letterman, during Drum Solo Week on June 9, 2011. The musical accompaniment is triggered by playing specific V-drum pads or the MalletKat. Listen for David’s correct pronunciation of the name “Peart.”
Make your whole day and watch this video!