The prog-rock singer Geddy Lee always wanted to be: “I wanted to sing like that”
Geddy Lee has never been a traditional rock ‘n’ roll frontman. During Rush shows, Lee had musical responsibilities of the highest order, which meant there was no time for flamboyant showmanship.
Playing Rush basslines for two hours straight is a task that even the most accomplished bassists would struggle to complete without making a litany of errors. Lee not only had to do that, but also provide lead vocals, which tested his multi-tasking skills to the limit. Yet somehow, he made it work.
Understandably, for their reunion tour in 2026, Rush are planning to expand their number of members, which will ease the responsibilities resting on Lee’s shoulders.
As a singer, Lee wasn’t looking for inspiration from the likes of Robert Plant or Mick Jagger. Instead, it was Jon Anderson from fellow prog-rockers Yes that he holds in the highest regard, and taught him the key tricks of the trade as a frontman. From this moment, Lee knew who he aspired to be.
While Anderson is no longer a member of the group, he was a founding father of the genre during the late 1960s, and oversaw a chapter in the band’s history that captured Lee’s heart. Although Yes have had different singers throughout their various tenures, none of the others compares to the original, according to the Rush bassist.
Lee’s love affair dates back to before he was famous, when he and Rush bandmate Alex Lifeson once queued all night in an attempt to secure tickets to see their heroes live. “The first time Yes came to Toronto, my friend Oscar and Alex and myself, we lined up at Maple Leaf Gardens all night to get tickets, and we ended up with second-row seats,” Lee told Rolling Stone.
The Rush legend continued, “I’ll never forget that. We drove out. I think it was that same week, they were also playing in Kitchener, Ontario, and saw them out there as well. They still are the only band I’ve lined up all night to see!”
While Lee was obsessed with everything to do with Yes, Anderson’s voice was the element that he found most appealing and separated them from their peers.
During a conversation with Classic Rock, he named the Englishman as his favourite singer of all time, explaining: “Jon Anderson had such a clear, beautiful voice that could be rock when it needed to be. (Also) soulful when it needed to be. As a young aspiring musician, I wanted to sing like that.”
Admittedly, their styles and tones differ somewhat, even if they are both capable of delivering obscenely high notes, but seeing Anderson on stage in Toronto confirmed to Lee that there was a whole different way of fronting a rock band.
When he was in the crowd that day, he wouldn’t have believed that one day, he would have the honour of performing alongside Anderson and Yes when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Sadly, the occasion was tinged with sadness for Lee and all involved, as he was deputising on the bass for the late Chris Squire.
“I really did love playing that song with them,” Lee recounted. “It was bittersweet for me, because Chris Squire was such a huge hero to me. And the fact that he wasn’t there was a vacuum that no one can fill properly.”
Lee added: “I felt for his family because I know that’s all that was on their mind that day. I felt a real weight to pull it off. I practised, as I usually do, like a crazy person, to make sure I didn’t embarrass Chris by my performance.”
Nobody else would have been a more appropriate person to fill in for Squire than Lee on that special night that celebrated Yes’ legacy. After all, without Anderson, he wouldn’t have been given the shot in the arm to go achieve greatness with Rush.
