Musician. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, he first picked up drumming at the age of 13, when he turned 18, he left Canada to pursue a music career in Great Britain, but made no progress. Eighteen months later, he returned home and took a job selling tractor parts. He also worked as a pickup drummer for local bands before being hired by the up-and-coming Toronto progressive rock band, Rush, fronted by bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, to replace drummer John Rutsey on July 29, 1974. His first gig with them was opening for Uriah Heep & Manfred Mann's Earth Band on August 14, 1974 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dedicated to his art, he would become famous for his expansive, well designed drum kits, more than 40 different drums and cymbals, and his precise playing style and on stage showmanship. As a composer on the drums he was seen as having few rivals, his ability to play technically complex solos every night on every tour earned him wide acknowledgement; he is almost universally considered one of the most innovative drummers in rock history. The band's albums, for which he was also often the lyricist, include: "Fly by Night" (1975), the concept album "2112" (1976), "A Farewell to Kings" (1977), "Hemispheres" (1978), "Permanent Waves" (1980), "Moving Pictures" (1981), "Signals" (1982), "Grace Under Pressure" (1984), "Power Windows" (1985), "Hold Your Fire" (1987), "Presto" (1989), "Roll the Bones" (1991), "Counterparts" (1993) and "Test for Echo" (1996) which was their last studio album for several years. Soon after its completion, his daughter was killed in a road accident, followed only months later by his wife's death from cancer. He left the band and went on a five years hiatus, riding a motorcycle some 55,000 miles across North and Central America, during which time he wrote, "Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road" (2002). By 2001, he returned to work , and in concert with the manufacturer, Sabian, designed the Paragon line of cymbal for his needs. In 2002, Rush released "Vapor Trails" and embarked on a highly anticipated tour of United States, Canada and South America, culminating in Brazil, where they performed in front of 125,000 fans, and resulted in "Rush in Rio," a live album which went double-platinum. Other albums followed including; "Snakes and Arrows" (2007), "Clockwork Angels" (2012), and "Time Stands Still" (2016). In addition to albums with Rush, he released two solo efforts; "Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the music of Buddy Rich" Volumes I and II in 1994 and 1997. Rush's final show took place in Los Angeles in August 2015, after which he revealed he was in constant pain from arthritis and tendinitis. He published the memoirs, "The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa" (1996) and "Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times" (2004). Rush was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994, Canada's Walk of Fame in 1999, the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010; a lifetime achievement honor at the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards; and an Order of Canada; the first rock musicians to receive this highest honor bestowed upon a civilian by the Canadian government. In 2013, Rush was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, after years of lobbying by fans. Rush's album sales put them third overall for the most consecutive gold or platinum certifications by a rock band.