Geddy Lee: Difference between revisions

| birth_place      = [[North York|North York, Ontario]], Canada

* synthesizer

| past_member_of    = {{Flatlist|

* [[Rush (band)|Rush]]

* [[Big Dirty Band]]}}

| spouse = {{Flatlist|

* {{marriage |Nancy Young |1976}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://torontolife.com/culture/geddy-lee-rush-interview-memoir/|title="There was a period when we were doing cocaine just to keep the energy up": A Q&A with Geddy Lee of Rush|first=Toronto|last=Life|date=November 14, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rushisaband.com/blog/2021/04/18/5585/Geddy-Lee-wishes-his-wife-Nancy-a-happy-birthday-via-Instagram|title=Rush is a Band Blog: Geddy Lee wishes his wife Nancy a happy birthday via Instagram|website=Rushisaband.com|access-date=July 29, 2025}}</ref> }}

'''Geddy Lee Weinrib''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|g|ɛ|d|i}}; born '''Gary Lee Weinrib''', July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Rush (band)|Rush]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Edgers |first=Geoff |title=There was never a band like Rush. Geddy Lee doesn't want to forget it. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2023/11/10/geddy-lee-rush-band-memoir-reunion/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Lee joined the band in September 1968 at the request of his childhood friend [[Alex Lifeson]], replacing original bassist and frontman [[Jeff Jones (bassist)|Jeff Jones]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Banasiewicz|first=Bill|title=Rush Visions: The Official Biography|url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/BanasiewiczVisions.htm|access-date=March 10, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223124746/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/BanasiewiczVisions.htm|archive-date=February 23, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Geddy Lee on the Day He Was Fired From Rush |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/geddy-lee-my-effin-life-memoir-rush-1234877004/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> Lee's solo effort, ''[[My Favourite Headache]]'', was released in 2000.

Lee's style, technique, and skill on the bass have inspired many rock musicians such as [[Cliff Burton]] of [[Metallica]];<ref name="CLIFF BURTON R.I.P. - 1986">{{Cite web|title=CLIFF BURTON R.I.P. - 1986|url=http://www.metallicaworld.co.uk/Interviews/1986_cliff.htm|publisher=metallicaworld.co.uk|access-date=April 25, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829040333/http://metallicaworld.co.uk/Interviews/1986_cliff.htm|archive-date=August 29, 2016}}</ref> [[Steve Harris (musician)|Steve Harris]] of [[Iron Maiden]];<ref name="Steve Harris Biography">{{Cite web|url=http://ironmaiden.webvis.net/steve.html|title=Steve Harris Biography|publisher=ironmiaden.webvis.net|access-date=December 18, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104215917/http://ironmaiden.webvis.net/steve.html|archive-date=January 4, 2007}}</ref> [[John Myung]] of [[Dream Theater]];<ref name="fender">{{Cite web|url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/john-myung-on-being-named-greatest-bassist-of-all-time-this-is-very-heavy-280465|title=John Myung on being named greatest bassist of all time|date=September 28, 2010 |publisher=musicradar.com|access-date=June 3, 2015}}</ref> [[Les Claypool]] of [[Primus (band)|Primus]];<ref name="ram.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ram.org/music/primus/articles/les_bday_atn.html|title=You Say It's Your Birthday: Les Claypool of Primus in Addicted to Noise, September 1997|website=Ram.org}}</ref> [[Steve Di Giorgio]] of [[Sadus]], [[Death (metal band)|Death]] and [[Testament (band)|Testament]];<ref name="bassplayer.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bassplayer.com/features/1172/steve-digiorgio-back-to-basics-with-testament/62181|title=Steve DiGiorgio: Back to Basics with Testament|publisher=bassplayer.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610220227/http://www.bassplayer.com/features/1172/steve-digiorgio-back-to-basics-with-testament/62181|access-date=December 3, 2021|archive-date=June 10, 2017}}</ref> and [[Tim Commerford]] of [[Rage Against the Machine]] and [[Audioslave]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://forbassplayersonly.com/tim-commerford/|title=FBPO Exclusive Interview with Tim Commerford|date=June 14, 2015|work=For Bass Players Only|access-date=June 19, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> Along with his Rush bandmates – guitarist [[Alex Lifeson]] and drummer [[Neil Peart]] – Lee was made an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]] on May 9, 1996. The trio was the first rock band to receive this honor.<ref>[http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/rus/bio.asp "Rush highlights"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715180526/http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/rus/bio.asp |date=July 15, 2010 }}, [[MapleMusic Recordings]] (accessed May 23, 2007).</ref> In 2013, the group was inducted into the [[List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees|Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] after 14 years of eligibility. In 2006, Lee was ranked 13th by ''[[Hit Parader]]'' on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalists of All Time.<ref>{{Cite web|author=oz|url=http://www.hearya.com/2006/12/04/hit-paraders-top-100-metal-vocalists-of-all-time/|title=Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time|publisher=Hearya.com|date=December 4, 2006|access-date=March 2, 2011|archive-date=September 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908211559/http://www.hearya.com/2006/12/04/hit-paraders-top-100-metal-vocalists-of-all-time/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

He was born Gary Lee Weinrib<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Geddy |title=Geddy Lee on My Effin' Life, Rush, and the story of Neil Peart's audition |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMUaFy-bJSs&t=574s |via=YouTube |date= November 16, 2023 |access-date=18 November 2023}}</ref> on July 29, 1953, in [[Willowdale, Toronto|Willowdale]], [[Toronto]], to Morris Weinrib (born Moshe Meir Weinrib; 1920–1965) from [[Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski]], [[Poland]]; and Mary "Manya" Rubinstein (born Malka Rubinstein; 1925–2021),<ref name="bpmc">{{cite web |url= https://www.benjaminsparkmemorialchapel.ca/ServiceDetails.aspx?sid=206477&fg=1 |title=Mary Weinrib |author=<!--Not stated--> |website= benjaminsparkmemorialchapel.ca| publisher= Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel, The Benjamin Group |location= Toronto |access-date=July 11, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite instagram |last=Lee |first=Geddy |user=geddyimages |postid= CQ_TCBxNRBF |date=July 6, 2021 |title='Suddenly she was gone from all the lives she left her mark upon.'<br /><br />Mary (Manya) Weinrib<br />July 16th 1925 – July 2nd 2021<br /><br />Rest In Peace Mom |access-date=July 11, 2021}}</ref> who was also from Poland: born in [[Warsaw]] and later raised in [[:pl:Wierzbnik (Starachowice)|Wierzbnik]].<ref name=Prato /><ref name="ug">{{cite news |author=jomatami |date=February 3, 2019 |title=Geddy Lee Shares His Parents' Holocaust Story, How They Met in Work Camp & How They Survived Auschwitz |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/geddy_lee_shares_his_parents_holocaust_story_how_they_met_in_work_camp__how_they_survived_auschwitz.html |work=[[Ultimate Guitar]] |location=San Francisco |access-date=May 18, 2021}}</ref><ref name="jweekly">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |title=How the Holocaust rocked Rush front man Geddy Lee |url= https://www.jweekly.com/2004/06/25/how-the-holocaust-rocked-rush-front-man-geddy-lee/ |work=[[J. The Jewish News of Northern California]] |location=San Francisco |date=June 25, 2004 |access-date=May 18, 2021}}</ref><ref name="cjnews">{{cite news |last=Benarde |first=Scott R. |date=August 11, 2004 |title=How the Holocaust rocked Rush's Geddy Lee |url= http://www.cjnews.com:80/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7066&Itemid=86 |url-status=dead |work=[[Canadian Jewish News]] |location=Toronto |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925084930/http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7066&Itemid=86 |archive-date=September 25, 2008 |access-date=May 1, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |date=August 7, 2017 |title=W poszukiwaniu swoich korzeni |trans-title=In search of one's roots |url=https://starachowicka.pl/2017/08/07/w-poszukiwaniu-swoich-korzeni/ |url-status=dead |language=Polish |work=Gazeta Starachowicka |location=[[Starachowice]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210518191616/https://www.starachowicka.pl/2017/08/07/w-poszukiwaniu-swoich-korzeni/ |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |access-date=May 18, 2021 |via=[[Wayback Machine]] |quote={{–}} Matka frontmana grupy Geddy Lee, pochodziła z Wierzbnika... |trans-quote={{–}} Mother of the band's frontman Geddy Lee, originated from Wierzbnik...}}</ref> His parents were [[Jews|Jewish]] [[Holocaust survivors]] from [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]] who had survived the [[List of Jewish ghettos in German-occupied Poland|ghetto]] in [[Starachowice]] (where they met), followed by their imprisonments at [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]] and later [[Dachau concentration camp|Dachau]] and [[Bergen-Belsen concentration camp|Bergen-Belsen]] [[internment|concentration camps]] during [[the Holocaust]] and [[World War II]].<ref name="ug" /><ref name="jweekly" /> They were in their teens when they were initially imprisoned at Auschwitz. "It was kind of surreal pre-teen shit", says Lee, describing how his father bribed guards to bring shoes to his mother. After a period, his mother was transferred to Bergen-Belsen and his father to Dachau. When the war ended four years later, and the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] liberated the camps, Morris set out in search of Manya and found her at a [[Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp]].<ref name="ug" /> They married there and eventually emigrated to Canada.<ref name="rs">{{cite magazine |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |date=November 25, 2015 |title=From Rush With Love |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rush-neil-peart-geddy-lee-alex-lifeson-59586/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York City |publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] |access-date=November 25, 2015}}</ref>

''[[J. The Jewish News of Northern California|Jweekly]]'' featured Lee's reflections on his mother's experiences as a refugee and on his own Jewish heritage.<ref name="jweekly" /> Lee's name, ''Geddy'', was derived from his mother's Polish-accented pronunciation of his given first name, ''Gary''.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hoffman |first1=Jordan |title=Locked down? Open up to… Rush's Jewish frontman Geddy Lee |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/locked-down-open-up-to-rushs-jewish-frontman-geddy-lee/ |website=[[The Times of Israel]] |access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref> This was picked up by his friends in school, leading Lee to adopt it as his stage name (excising his surname, leaving his middle name as his surname) and later his legal name,<ref name=Buttner>{{Cite web| last= Buttner|first=Christopher|title=Geddy Lee: The Reluctant Rockstar| url= http://www.prthatrocks.com/interviews/geddy.html |website= prthatrocks.com |publisher= Bass Frontiers Magazine |date= November 1996| access-date=April 26, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120205204217/http://www.prthatrocks.com/interviews/geddy.html|archive-date= February 5, 2012| url-status= dead}}</ref> Geddy Lee Weinrib<ref name=":0"/>{{rp|at=10:58|q=timestamp}} (replacing his first name).

By the 1980s, Rush had become one of the "biggest rock bands on the planet", selling out arena seats when touring.<ref name=Prato /><ref name=Buttner /> Lee was known for his dynamic stage movements. According to music critic Tom Mulhern, writing in 1980, "it's dazzling to see so much sheer energy expended without a nervous breakdown."<ref name=Mulhern>Tom Mulhern, ''Bass Heroes: Styles, Stories and Secrets of 30 Great Bass Players'', Backbear Books (1993) p. 110</ref> By 1996, their [[Test for Echo Tour]] began performing without an opening act, their shows lasting nearly three hours.<ref name=rollingstone>''Rolling Stone'', December 12, 1996</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=February 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Giles |first=Jeff|date=2015-11-06 |title=Watch Rush Perform 'Tom Sawyer' From 'R40 Live' |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/rush-tom-sawyer-live/ |access-date=2024-03-10 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |language=en}}</ref>

Music industry writer Christopher Buttner, who interviewed Lee in 1996, described him as a prodigy and "role model" for what every musician wants to be, noting his proficiency on stage. Buttner cited Lee's ability to vary time signatures, play multiple keyboards, use bass pedal controllers and control sequencers, all while singing lead vocals into as many as three microphones. Buttner adds that few musicians of any instrument "can juggle half of what Geddy can do without literally falling on their ass."<ref name=Buttner /> As a result, notes Mulhern, Lee's instrumentation was the "pulse" of the group and created a "one-man rhythm section", which complemented guitarist [[Alex Lifeson]] and percussionist [[Neil Peart]].<ref name=Mulhern /> Bass instructor [[Allan Slutsky]], or "Dr Licks", credits Lee's "biting, high-end bass lines and creative synthesizer work" for helping the group become "one of the most innovative" of all the groups that play arena rock.<ref name=Jamerson>Dr Licks. ''Standing in the Shadows of Motown'', Hal Leonard Corp. (1989) p. 125</ref> By 1989, ''[[Guitar Player]]'' magazine had designated Lee the "Best Rock Bass" player from their reader's poll for the previous five years.<ref name=Jamerson />

Greg Prato of [[AllMusic]] wrote that "few [[hard rock]] bassists have been as influential as Rush's Geddy Lee."<ref name="AllMusicBio">{{Cite web |last=Prato |first=Greg |title=Geddy Lee: Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/geddy-lee-mn0000153933/biography |access-date=May 1, 2012 |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> Bass players who have cited Lee as an influence include [[Cliff Burton]] of [[Metallica]],<ref name="CLIFF BURTON R.I.P. - 1986" /> [[Steve Harris (musician)|Steve Harris]] of [[Iron Maiden]],<ref name="Steve Harris Biography" /> [[John Myung]] of [[Dream Theater]],<ref name="fender" /> [[Les Claypool]] of [[Primus (band)|Primus]],<ref name="ram.org" /> and [[Steve Di Giorgio]] of [[Sadus]], [[Death (metal band)|Death]] and [[Testament (band)|Testament]].<ref name="bassplayer.com" />

==''My Favourite Headache''==

 

==Side projects==

In 2018, Lee published ''Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass'', which highlights his collection of over 250 basses along with interviews with some of the leading bass players and bass technicians.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

[[File:Geddy Lee Certificate of authenticity.jpg|thumb|Geddy Lee certificate of authenticity for a guitar]]

In 1998, Fender released the [[Fender Jazz Bass|Geddy Lee Jazz Bass]], available in Black<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fender.com/en-GB/series/artist/geddy-lee-jazz-bass-maple-fingerboard-black-3-ply-white-pickguard/|title=Fender Products: Geddy Lee Jazz Bass|publisher=Fender.com|date=January 22, 2010|access-date=March 19, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618192648/http://www.fender.com/en-GB/series/artist/geddy-lee-jazz-bass-maple-fingerboard-black-3-ply-white-pickguard/|archive-date=June 18, 2013}}</ref> and 3-Color Sunburst<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0257702300|title=Fender Products: Geddy Lee Jazz Bass|publisher=Fender.com|date=January 22, 2010|access-date=March 19, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106060407/http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0257702300|archive-date=January 6, 2010}}</ref> (as of 2009).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0257702306|title=Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass|publisher=Fender.com|access-date=March 2, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106063922/http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0257702306|archive-date=January 6, 2010}}</ref> This signature model is a recreation of Lee's favourite bass, a 1972 Fender Jazz that he bought in a pawn shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1978. In 2015, Fender released a revised USA model of his signature bass,<ref>[http://shop.fender.com/en-US/electric-basses/jazz-bass/usa-geddy-lee-jazz-bass/product-0197702806.html] {{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> with most of the changes reflecting those Lee had made to his own instrument over the years.

Faced with the dilemma of what to do with the empty space left behind by the lack of large amplifier cabinets, Lee chose to decorate his side of the stage with unusual items. The [[Snakes & Arrows Tour]] prominently featured three Henhouse brand rotisserie chicken ovens on stage complete with an attendant in a chef's hat and apron to "tend" the chickens during shows.<ref>Jamie Thomson. [http://music.guardian.co.uk/live/story/0,,2189240,00.html "Rush concert review: Wembley Arena, London. Friday, October 12, 2007."], [[The Guardian]]. Retrieved March 1, 2008.</ref>

Lee married Nancy Young in 1976.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shekh |first=Mahammad Arsad |date=September 17, 2017 |title=Is Geddy Lee Happily Married To Nancy Young? Know About Their Love life & Children |url=https://famousstardom.com/is-geddy-lee-happily-married-to-nancy-young-know-about-their-love-life-children |access-date=November 17, 2023 |website=famousstardom.com}}</ref> They have a son and a daughter. He takes annual trips to France, where he indulges in cheese and wine.<ref name=aidinvaziri>{{Cite web|last=Vaziri|first=Aidin|title=Rush front man wants to put time on hold|url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Geddy-Lee-Rush-front-man-wants-to-put-time-on-2796450.php|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=May 3, 2011|date=September 15, 2002}}</ref> In 2011, a charitable foundation he supports, Grapes for Humanity, created the Geddy Lee Scholarship for winemaking students at [[Niagara College]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/529542/rush-frontman-honoured-by-scholarship-endowment|title=Rush frontman honoured by scholarship endowment|publisher=Decanter.com|date=November 27, 2011|access-date=December 2, 2011}}</ref> Lee has described himself as a [[Jewish atheism|Jewish atheist]], explaining to an interviewer, "I consider myself a Jew as a race, but not so much as a religion. I'm not down with religion at all. I'm a Jewish atheist, if that's possible."<ref>[http://heebmagazine.com/a-show-of-hands-2 "A Show of Hands"], ''HEEB'', March 20, 2009</ref>

* {{cite book|first=Geddy|last=Lee|title=My Effin' Life|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|year=2023|isbn=978-0-06315-942-6}}

[[Category:21st-century Canadian singers]]

[[Category:Canadian hard rock musicians]]

[[Category:Canadian rock singers]]

[[Category:Canadian male songwriters]]

[[Category:Jewish singers]]