Alex Lifeson names the guitarist who was the “biggest influence”
Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson is one of the most dextrous artists in rock music. Dipping his toes in prog, metal and a range of other genres, he blends the lead and rhythm guitarist role, perfectly dovetailing with the dynamic basslines of Geddy Lee, bringing Rush’s eclectic sound to life.
It’s indicative of Lifeson’s power that prominent guitarists from disparate genres cite him as an influence. Among his disciples are the likes of Jim Martin, formerly of Faith No More, Dream Theater’s John Petrucci, Marillion’s Steve Rothery and jazz hero Kurt Rosenwinkel. Metallica frontman James Hetfield, who has long been deemed one of the best rhythm guitarists, even has a soft spot for the Canadian.
When speaking to Guitar Player, it was put to Hetfield that he is frequently named amongst the best rhythm players alongside Keith Richards, Pete Townshend and Malcolm Young. Asked how he feels about such a status, he replied: “It’s awesome. I would include Alex Lifeson in there because he’s an amazing rhythm player—although some people don’t notice.”
It makes sense that Alex Lifeson appeals to a host of different guitarists, as he, too, has mentioned players from different forms and eras as his favourites, with his knowledge of playing vast. Whilst the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Steve Morse rank at the top of his list, there’s another prominent master of the six-string who had a defining impact on him; Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
When speaking on Sirius XM’s Classic Vinyl Influences in 2013, Lifeson listed the ten songs that had the most significant impact on him, and one was Led Zeppelin’s 1969 song ‘How Many More Times’. Here, he outlined his love of Page’s work and said that he was the “biggest influence” on him when he was a budding axeman. Lifeson said: “Led Zeppelin were an enormous influence, and Jimmy Page particularly, for me, was probably the biggest influence on me as a budding guitarist.”
The Rush man continued: “When that first record came out in early in think 1969 or was in the fall of ’68 in Canada, I remember going down to the record shop and standing in line, waiting to get a copy, because it was only available on import. I immediately went over to get it, and we sat down and listened to it a million times over.”
“‘How Many More Times’ was the one song that I think had the biggest impact on me,” he added. “It was such a cool, heavy song, and then Jimmy Page played the first half of the guitar solo with a violin bow. That just absolutely blew my mind. Of course, I ran out and bought a violin bow and tried to emulate him, and all that happened was I got all this sticky raw over my strings. I had to take my guitar strings and actually boil them to get that stuff off because I couldn’t afford new strings”.
