Band Of The Century

"It's official, Rush is the most important Canadian band of the century, according to JAM! readers. Results of an online poll conducted during the final weeks of 1999 gave the power trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart an early lead that was never relinquished. The only real challenge to Rush's dominance came in recent weeks, when the death of The Band's bassist Rick Danko seemed to fortify support for the group, pushing them to within three points of Rush. To indicate how strong recent voting has been for The Band, consider that at one point, Rush had a two-to-one lead over their nearest competition in the voting. As of New Year's Eve, Rush finished with 22 percent of the vote, followed by The Band with 19 percent. The Tragically Hip, who treated fans to a surprise concert at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto before hosting a large slate of groups at the Air Canada Centre on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, finished third with 13 percent." - JAM! Showbiz, Dec. 31, 1999

"I would say this kind of recognition, especially when it comes along during a period of inactivity from a band point of view, that you get a real charge out of something like that. It makes you feel really good, because it makes you realize something you've done with your life has had some effect. I just like to thank our fans for being as amazing as they have been all these years ... I count my blessings." - Geddy Lee, JAM! Showbiz, Jan. 18, 2000

Canadian Walk Of Fame

Rush was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame outside Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall on Thursday, May 27th.

Alex and Geddy were on hand, although all four members (past and present) intended on being present. Neil chose not to go at the last second, and out of respect for Neil, John Rutsey did not attend either. Thanks to Rob Miceli for the photos! - May 27, 1999.

Sammy Hagar Biography Would Have Questioned Rush Manager's Loyalties

A chapter in a book about the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar, to have been published later this month, detailed the alleged circumstances resulting in his leaving Van Halen. These circumstances involved their hiring of long time Rush manager, Ray Danniels, who has managed Rush since their debut album.  The book has been put on hold, as Sammy Hagar won an injunction preventing its release and Ray Danniel's reportedly threatened the author with lawsuits. Click here for more.

Rush Awarded "Order Of Canada"

Last year at this time, all three members of Rush were awarded the highest civilian award from the Canadian government, making them "Officers of the Order of Canada". Rush was the first rock band to receive the award, which was created in 1967 for "significant achievement in important fields of human endeavor".  After the ceremony, Geddy told reporters "I'm just going to wear it all the time and see if it gets me better tables at restaurants" while Alex joked "I think I'll wear it to bed, maybe I'll get more respect that way." - Jam Music, February 27, 1997

History Of Rush CD-ROM

In an interview given during the Test For Echo tour, Neil Peart shared that the band was working on a CD-Rom "compendium" of Rush.  Unfortunately, this project was apparently shelved forever after his personal tragedies stuck.

"We are working on a proper CD-ROM about Rush. We actually have people working in the basement of the office, digging up videos and bits of information and all kinds of trivia being put into it. We really want to make it something that exploits the potential that CD-ROM has...with so many little side trips, and so many bits and pieces in there and little bits of my writing will show up in there and bits of other people's activities outside. We really want to make it a compendium. So, we're taking our time about that of course, because it is going to take a lot of work. Literally there are people digging through stuff. I wasn't exaggerating. It is going on, but it's going to take time." - Neil Peart Jam! Showbiz, Oct. 16, 1996