About Rush

Individually and as a whole, one of the most talented bands ever, Rush have been inspiring air guitar solos, air drum solos, and air synthesizers solos for over 40 years. In addition to being hailed as some of the best at each of their individual instruments, Rush as a band has had 24 gold records and 14 platinum records making 4th behind the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Aerosmith in sales by a rock band. Originally drawing from the blues rock sound of bands like The Who, Cream and Deep Purple, Rush released their first single, a Buddy Holly cover, to little reaction. But their blue collar rocker, “Working Man,” resonated with their hard rock audience and a tour with Manfred Mann was soon in place. It was after the release of the commercially successful 2112 album that Rush started to move into more progressive rock territory with expanded compositions and additional instruments. In 1981, Rush released “Tom Sawyer”, their biggest hit, which has been covered by a variety of pop and rock bands, including Sebastian Bach from Skid Row. This album was followed by Signals and Grace Under Pressure, which was originally to be produced by Steve Lillywhite (Siouxsie and the Banshees, Peter Gabriel, U2), who backed out at the last moment. Rush has gone on to influence bands in several genres including Queensryche, Primus, and alternative rockers Smashing Pumpkins.