The bassist Geddy Lee said “will always be my hero”
Rush bassist and frontman Geddy Lee has many strings to his bow. Whether it be the broad range of his vocal ability or his grasp of the synthesiser, Lee’s multifaceted approach went a long way in establishing the dynamic sound of an iconic Canadian band. However, whilst it is possible to wax lyrical about his various aspects as a musician, it is safe to say that Geddy Lee’s finest area is his bass playing.
A genius of the fretboard that pairs a natural rhythmic understanding with a soul-influenced dedication to melody, Lee is hailed as one of the finest to have ever picked up the instrument. His grooving basslines lock in with drummer Neil Peart’s technical work and dovetail with the dextrous palettes provided by their in-house guitar hero, Alex Lifeson.
In his time, Lee has cited a range of classic bass players as his heroes, including Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. Constantly with his finger on the pulse, Lee has also said that more contemporary players such as Flea and Les Claypool have also positively affected him and helped him push himself on his primary instrument.
Despite Geddy Lee effusing about a host of four-string heroes, there is only one artist that he cites as his favourite of all time. This is the late John Entwistle of The Who, a man so powerful in life that his nickname was ‘The Ox’ and so elemental on the bass that he was known as ‘Thunderfingers’. When speaking to Music Radar in 2022, Geddy Lee reflected on the brilliance of The Who man and went as far as to say that he “will always be my hero”.
Lee said: “The Ox! Ever since I first heard My Generation right through to Won’t Get Fooled Again or The Real Me… he was quite possibly the greatest rock bassist of all time. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that.” He continued: “I’ve become friends with somebody who worked for him and still works for The Who, and I love listening to the stories of him walking around the house playing constantly.”
Noting what made Entwistle such a force and attracted other bassists to his work, Lee added: “He was a bass player’s bass player. He didn’t play guitar. He didn’t want to do anything other than play awesome bass. He had the dexterity; it was just so fluid, man… a pure joy to listen to. Plus, he could get that twangy tone out of almost any bass he played.”
The Rush man concluded: “Like me, he was a collector. He had one of the first true bass collections back in the day. Sadly, he passed away, and that collection got sold on to other people. I’m very happy to have one of those instruments. He will always be my hero and among the top bassists that have ever lived.”
Watch John Entwistle in action below.
