The deep regret Geddy Lee holds about Jimi Hendrix
While Rush legend Geddy Lee might be one of the most iconic frontmen in rock, an artist who also doubles up as one of the finest bass players the world has ever seen, but there was a time when things looked like they would not pan out this way. Despite his dynamism and natural talent, when he was a young musician at the outset of his journey, he had a period when he was out of Rush, roaming the creative heath, heartbroken, with the pearly gates of rock stardom just a fading fantasy.
It’s a tale that few had heard before he released his 2023 memoir My Effin’ Life, but remarkably, Lee was kicked out of Rush not long after joining, a betrayal he understandably still struggles to get his head around. The group were formed as a trio in 1968 by guitarist Alex Lifeson, drummer John Rutsey – de facto leader – and bassist and frontman Jeff Jones. Before too long, Jones suggested that Lifeson hire school friend Gary ‘Geddy’ Weinrib as his replacement due to travel restrictions, and when they did, he changed his name to Geddy Lee.
Following this point, the group primarily played covers by prominent rock acts of the day, such as Jimi Hendrix and Lee’s ultimate heroes, Cream, and had various lineups. The bass whizz’s future brother-in-law, Lindy Young, even played keyboards for a time.
In 1969, Rush was a quartet featuring Young, and things were fast changing for them. Somehow, which Lee thinks was largely down to Rutsey, the booking agent Ray Daniels surprisingly became their manager, although he had no experience running band operations. He had a problem with Lee and wanted him out.
Lee recalled to Classic Rock in 2012: “He started directing the band and he just thought I wasn’t suitable, for whatever reasons he had. I don’t know whether it was the way I looked, or my religious background – who the f— knew? Anyway, he influenced them and they went along with it, Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey, and I was out.”
Years later, when speaking to Q1043 New York in 2023 to promote My Effin’ Life, Lee reflected on being ousted from early Rush once more, as he does so in the book. He recalled walking to rehearsals one day and bumping into Young, who was also on his way there. The bespectacled rocker believes that his future relative had been tasked with breaking the news to him and “basically lying” to him that the band had broken up instead of telling him straight that he was out. Naturally, Lee was “stunned” by the news.
In response, the heartbroken Lee rang around and started a new blues band. Meanwhile, what had been Rush recruited bassist and vocalist Joe Perna and renamed themselves Hadrian. Lee maintains that Hadrian were “really bad”, which seems valid as they fell apart after two shows, with Perna not up to the job.
While this period was challenging for Lee, it was made worse because he had tickets to see The Jimi Hendrix Experience in Toronto – one of his all-time favourite groups – but spurned the opportunity to go and watch Hadrian instead. He told the radio station that it was “a terrible confession” that he didn’t go and see the rock pioneer.
It’s a lifelong regret for Lee, as it wouldn’t be long before Hendrix passed away, meaning he never got to watch him live. Instead, he’s left with the painful memory of watching a terrible band with an awful frontman in place of himself. That really drove home his internal anguish at the time.
Describing what happened, Lee said: “I think he had been arrested coming into the country for drug possession, but the show did go on, and I wasn’t there. I just assumed, ‘He’ll come back sometime, and I’ll see him then’, but unfortunately for the world, he passed away not long after that.”
Continuing: “But I went to see this crappy version of Rush that they had put together, called themselves Hadrian, and it was painful to watch because they weren’t very good and it didn’t make me feel any better. In fact, I think it made me feel worse that they replaced me with someone that couldn’t really handle the gig and it wasn’t long before they just fell apart. I think that’s called karma.”
Asked why he returned to Rush when Rutsey eventually came desperately crawling back, he said it was because of Alex Lifeson. Although his new group had been doing much better than Hadrian, Lee missed playing with his best friend from high school. “That was a good decision,” he wryly smiled.
Watch Geddy Lee discuss the story below.
